John Watts Jr.

John Watts Jr. (August 27, 1749 – September 3, 1836) was an American lawyer and politician from New York City who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Life

John Watts was born on August 27, 1749, in New York City. He was the son of John Watts (1715–1789), a Scottish immigrant from a wealthy family, and Ann DeLancey (1723–1784), a descendant of the Schuyler family and Van Cortlandt family. His elder brother, Robert Watts (1743–1814), was married to Mary Alexander, the daughter of Lord Stirling. His younger siblings included Anne Watts (1744–1783), who was married to Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis (the parents of Archibald Kennedy, 1st Marquess of Ailsa), Susannah Watts (1749–1823), who was married to Phillip Kearney, Mary Nicoll Watts (1751–1815), who was married to Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet, Stephen Watts, who was married to Sarah Nugent, and Margaret Watts, who was married to Robert Leake. and Anne van Cortlandt (1676–1724), the third child of Gertrude Schuyler (b. 1654) and Stephanus van Cortlandt (1643–1700), the Chief Justice of the Province of New York.

He completed preparatory studies, graduated with an A.M. degree from King's College in May 1769, and studied law. The role included serving as a "mayoral assistant, judge, and in sundry administrative and judicial functions." Leake and Watts Services is now called Rising Ground. Leakes had left his personal property (valued at about $300,000) and real estate (worth an additional $86,000), to Watts' son provided he change his name to "Robert Leake." While Watts son made the change, he died a few months later, leaving no will. The real estate was escheated to the State because of technical problems of the "will", however, the personal property passed to Watts who used it to found the Orphan Asylum. in a double wedding, along with her sister, Susannah Delancey (1754–1837), who married Thomas Henry Barclay. The sisters were daughters of Peter DeLancey (who served in the New York Provincial Assembly for many years) and Elizabeth Colden (daughter of Cadwallader Colden), and granddaughters of Stephen Delancey making them first cousins to John.

George Watts, a First Lt. and aide-de-camp to General Winfield Scott from 1814 to 1815. John Watts III. who married Henry Laight. a New York City author and philanthropist who married Estelle Livingston (1819–1898) in 1841.