Alfred C. Chapin

Alfred Clark Chapin (March 8, 1848 – October 2, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn and a member of the United States House of Representatives.[1]

Alfred C. Chapin
Member of the House of Representatives from New York's 2nd District
In office
November 3, 1891 – November 16, 1892
Preceded byDavid A. Boody
Succeeded byJohn M. Clancy
Mayor of Brooklyn
In office
1888–1891
Preceded byDaniel D. Whitney
Succeeded byDavid A. Boody
New York State Comptroller
In office
1884–1887
GovernorGrover Cleveland
David B. Hill
Preceded byIra Davenport
Succeeded byEdward Wemple
Personal details
Born
Alfred Clark Chapin

(1848-03-08)March 8, 1848
South Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States
DiedOctober 2, 1936(1936-10-02) (aged 88)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)
Grace Stebbins
​
(
m. 1884; died 1908)

Charlotte Storrs Montant
​
(
m. 1913; his death 1936)
RelationsHamilton Fish IV (grandson)
ParentsEphraim Atlas Chapin
Josephine Clark
Alma materWilliams College
Harvard Law School

Early life

Chapin was born to Ephraim Atlas Chapin who had interests in the railroad and Josephine, née Clark. He had a younger sister Alice Chapin who was an actress and suffragette.[2]

He attended the public and private schools and graduated from Williams College (in Williamstown, Massachusetts) in 1869,[3] and from Harvard Law School in 1871. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and commenced practice in New York City with residence in Brooklyn.[1]

Political career

He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Kings Co., 11th D.) in 1882 and 1883, and was Speaker in 1883. On January 13, 1882, he was injured in the same train accident in which State Senator Webster Wagner was killed.[1]

He was New York State Comptroller from 1884 to 1887, elected at the New York state election, 1883 and the New York state election, 1885. He was Mayor of Brooklyn from 1888 to 1891. Chapin was elected as a Democrat to the 52nd United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of David A. Boody and served from November 3, 1891, to November 16, 1892, when he resigned.[1]

Later life

Chapin served as railroad commissioner of New York State from 1892 to 1897, and continued the practice of law, He was also financially interested in various enterprises.[1] He also owned a summer home in Murray Bay, Quebec.[3]

Personal life

On February 20, 1884,[3] Chapin was married to Grace Stebbins (1860–1908).[4] She was the daughter of Alice Holmes Schieffelin (1838–1913) and Russell Stebbins (1835–1894) and the granddaughter of Samuel Schieffelin, a religious author and businessman. Together, they were the parents of:

  • Grace Chapin (1885–1960),[5] who married Hamilton Fish III (1888–1991), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[6]
  • Beatrice Chapin (1889–1932)

After his first wife's death in 1908, he remarried to Charlotte (née Storrs) Montant (1860–1942),[7] the widow of Charles Montant, on January 6, 1913.[8]

Chapin died in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel while on a visit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1936.[9] He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx.[10] Chapin's grandson Hamilton Fish IV also was a U.S. Representative from New York.[1]

References
  1. "CHAPIN, Alfred Clark - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  2. Maggie B. Gale, ‘Chapin, Harold (1886–1915)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2015 accessed 9 Nov 2017
  3. "Alfred Clark Chapin (1848–1936)". specialcollections.williams.edu. Special Collections of Williams College. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  4. "MRS. A. C. CHAPIN DEAD; END GAME SUDDENLY; Wife of ex-Mayor of Brooklyn, a Noted Beauty, Taken III Only Last Friday. AT THE OPERA A WEEK AGO She Was a Member of the Schieffelin Family, and a Leader in Metropolitan Society". The New York Times. 11 December 1908. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  5. "MRS. HAMILTON FISH DIES; Wife of Ex-Representative Was Former Grace Chapin". The New York Times. 4 July 1960. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. Pace, Eric (January 20, 1991). "Hamilton Fish, in Congress 24 Years, Dies at 102". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. "MRS. ALFRED C. CHAPIN; Widow of One-Time Mayor of Brooklyn Dies in Murray Bay". The New York Times. 2 September 1942. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  8. "EX-MAYOR CHAPIN MARRIES.; Former Brooklyn Executive Wedded to Mrs. Charles L. Montant". The New York Times. January 7, 1913. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  9. "EX-MAYOR CHAPIN OF BROOKLYN DIES; Retired Lawyer, 88, Had Also Been State Controller and Speaker of Assembly". The New York Times. 3 October 1936. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  10. Alfred C. Chapin at Find a Grave
New York State Assembly
Preceded by
William H. Waring		 New York State Assembly
Kings County, 11th District
1882–1883		 Succeeded by
Henry Heath
Political offices
Preceded by
Charles E. Patterson		 Speaker of the New York State Assembly
1883		 Succeeded by
Titus Sheard
Preceded by
Ira Davenport		 New York State Comptroller
1884–1887		 Succeeded by
Edward Wemple
Preceded by
Daniel D. Whitney		 Mayor of Brooklyn
1888–1891		 Succeeded by
David A. Boody
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
David A. Boody		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 2nd congressional district
1891–1892		 Succeeded by
John M. Clancy
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