Silas B. Dutcher family papers
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Abstract
The Silas B. Dutcher family papers are composed primarily of Dutcher's business and political correspondence during the period 1861 to 1908. Dutcher occupied various political appointments in New York City and Brooklyn during this period, including Supervisor of Internal Revenue, Pension Agent, Appraiser of the Port of New York, and New York Supervisor of Public Works. Additional items in the collection include family correspondence, newspaper clippings, ephemera, family and political scrapbooks, and various certificates awarded to Dutcher.
Biographical note
Silas Belden Dutcher (1829-1909) was born in Springfield, N.Y., as the second child of Parcefor and Johannah Low Frink Dutcher. In his early years, Dutcher worked on the family farm and taught school. In 1855, Dutcher moved to New York City and began his mercantile career. He continued to work in trade until 1868, when he was compelled to focus exclusively on his rising political career.
Dutcher's political career had begun in 1856, when he joined the newly-formed Republican Party. He served his first position in public office as Supervisor of the City of New York from 1860 to 1861. In 1868, Dutcher became Supervisor of the Internal Revenue, a position in which he served for four years before being appointed U.S. Pension Agent for the Eastern District of New York by President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1877, Grant appointed Dutcher to the position of Appraiser of the Port of New York, and after serving in this position for three years, Dutcher was made State Supervisor of Public Works by New York Governor Alonzo B. Cornell.
Dutcher also participated on various political committees. He was chairman of the Kings County Republican Committee for four years, a member of the State Republican Committee, and chairman of the Executive Committee in 1876. In 1896, New York Governor Levi P. Morton appointed him to the commission to frame the charter for Greater New York. Dutcher was also a frequent delegate to Republican state and national conventions.
Beyond his political activities, Dutcher maintained his business ties throughout most of his life. From 1877 on, he was the director of Metropolitan Life Insurance. He was a charter trustee of Union Dime between 1859 and 1902, and president of the company from 1885 to 1902. In 1891, he became president of the Hamilton Trust Company.
Beside his active political and business careers, Dutcher was also deeply involved in his family and religious lives. In 1859, he married Rebecca Jacobs Alwaise. Together they lived in Brooklyn and had 8 children over the next 20 years: Dewit Parcefor, Edith, Malcolm, Elsie, Myra, Jessie, and twins Eva and Edna. Dutcher was an involved member of the Dutch Reformed Church, teaching Sunday school and serving as super of the Twelfth Street Reformed Church in Brooklyn for 10 years. He was also a member of the Masonic Fraternity.
Sources:
- Bogard, Milo T. Silas Belden Dutcher: Prominent in Politics for Half a Century - His Splendid Record in Important Offices - Successful Also as a Financier - Descending from a Long Line of Sterling Americans. New York: New York Newspaper Men, 1901.
- Griffin, Walter Kenneth. The Dutcher Family. New York: New York Geneological and Biographical Record, 1910.
- Howard, Henry W.B., ed. The Eagle and Brooklyn: The Record of the Progress of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle ... Together with the History of the City of Brooklyn from Its Settlement to the Present Time. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Daily Eagle, 1893.
- Stiles, Henry R. The Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, New York from 1683 to 1884. New York: W.W. Munsell and Company, 1884.
- Syrett, Harold Coffin. Studies in History, Economics and Public Law: The City of Brooklyn, 1865-1898. New York: Columbia University Press, 1968.
- Whittemore, Henry, comp. Our Colonial Ancestors and Their Descendants. Historical, Genealogical, Biographical. Watertown, N.Y.: Hungerford-Holbrook Company, 1902.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into five series:
- Business and political papers, 1861-1908
- Family papers, 1889, 1909
- Clippings and ephemera, 1858-1913
- Scrapbooks, circa 1820-1930
- Awards and certificates, 1864-1909
Scope and Contents
The majority of the collection is comprised of correspondence dating from 1861 to 1908 and relating to Dutcher's long career in business and politics, though there are also several items relating to the Dutcher family and the general social, political, and cultural backgrounds of the New York City area, New York State, and the United States.
Series 1: Business papers contains correspondence comprised of loose letters, letter books, and letter copy books, and involving Dutcher in his numerous official political and business capacities. Series 2: Family papers contains a small amount of correspondence relating to Rebecca and Edith Dutcher, as well as materials relating to Silas Dutcher's death in 1909. The loose clippings and ephemera series relates to a wide range of political and social issues, as well as Dutcher's work as Supervisor of Public Works and his involvement in various political and civic organizations. Series 4: Scrapbooks contains news clippings and ephemera compiled by Rebecca and Jessie Dutcher and relating to general political and business issues, Silas Dutcher's political and business careers, religion, arts, and culture. The items in Series 5: Awards and certificates are primarily made out to Silas Dutcher and are from several organizations and institutions in which Dutcher served in varying capacities.
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Families
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The materials in this collection are in the public domain. While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Silas B. Dutcher family papers, 1977.282, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Lawrence Doggett and the estate of Mr. Meenahan, 1963.
Separated Materials
One photograph and an album of postcards were removed to the image collection and designated as V1997.025. These items cannot currently be located.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was first processed by A. Dietz in 1980. It was minimally processed to the series level by Nicholas Pavlik in 2011. In 2025, the finding aid was updated by Dee Bowers to incorporate box and folder level information.
