Colonel De Heer Abraham De Peyster

George Edwin Bissell, born New Preston, CT 1839-died Mount Vernon, NY 1920 · modeled ca. 1893

Abraham De Peyster was the mayor of New York City from 1692 to 1694 and governor of the colony of New York in 1701. He was a benefactor who donated land to the city and gave money to schools that could not meet their obligations. Colonel de Heer Abraham De Peyster is a study for a statue that was commissioned by De Peyster’s great-great-great-grandson John Watts De Peyster, who was also a benefactor and an amateur historian. He was particularly proud of the role his family played during New England’s formative years, and donated the statue to the city of New York to honor his ancestor’s legacy.