William Irving (New York politician)


William Irving was a United States Representative from New York.

Early life

Irving was born in New York City on August 15, 1766. William was the eldest surviving son of eleven children born to William Irving Sr., originally of Quholm, Shapinsay, Orkney, Scotland, and Sarah Irving. Among his surviving siblings were four brothers and three sisters, including: author and a member of the New York State Assembly Peter Irving, Ebenezer Irving, John Treat Irving, diplomat and author Washington Irving, Ann Irving, Catherine Irving, and Sarah Irving.

Career

After completing preparatory studies, Irving engaged in mercantile pursuits. From 1787 to 1791, he was a fur trader with the Indians along the Mohawk River, residing at Johnstown and Caughnawaga.
In 1793, he returned to New York City, married, and in 1814 was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Egbert Benson. He was reelected to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Congresses and served from January 22, 1814, to March 3, 1819. Irving, a close friend of James Kirke Paulding, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy under Martin Van Buren, supported the War of 1812.
Irving contributed several essays and poems to Salmagundi, written primarily by Washington Irving and James Kirke Paulding.

Personal life

In 1793, Irving was married to Julia Paulding, the daughter of William Paulding Sr., and sister of his friend James Kirke Paulding and William Paulding Jr.. Together, they were the parents of:
Irving died in New York City on November 9, 1821.

Descendants

Through his daughter Julia, he was the grandfather of Julia Grinnell Bowdoin, the mother of prominent banker Temple Bowdoin, and Fannie Leslie Grinnell, who married society man Thomas Forbes Cushing, son of John Perkins Cushing.