On Page 23 of Volume 2 Isaac T. Hopper writes that Charles F. Mitchel, who was confined in Sing Sing for the crime of forgery, was pardoned by Governor Bouck.

        The “Farmer Governor” of New York William C. Bouck was born in the family mansion on Bouck’s Island in Schoharie County, New York on January 7, 1786.[1] The Bouck family had resided in the region for decades, since the progenitor of the family arrived in the area Holy Roman Empire (in the area of modern day Germany) in 1710.[2] As Bouck grew up, he worked on the family homestead, but also attended the local school when it was established in 1795, when he was nine years old. According to the school’s records, Bouck attended school more than any of his peers.[3] However, it should be noted that besides this school, Bouck received little formal education.[4]

        In 1807, Bouck first held public office as Town Clerk within Fulton within Schoharie County. In 1812, he was appointed Sheriff of the county by the Governor Daniel D. Tompkins. From 1814 to 1816, and again in 1818, Bouck served in the New York State Assembly as a representative. In 1820 and 1821, he served in the upper house of the New York Legislature as a State Senator. After this stint, Bouck was elected by the Legislature as one of the Canal Commissioners, a position which he held until February 1840. At this time, he and his Democratic colleagues were removed when the opposing Whig Party ascended to power.[5]

        He ran for the New York governorship in 1840 as the Democratic candidate, but was beaten by the Whig candidate William Seward.[6] Two years later he ran again, but was successful in his bid this time. He had the support of both wings of his party and supported the popular policy of canal expansion.[7] He won by a large margin, 22,000 votes, which was far greater than the margin Seward had won two years earlier.[8] 

        The support and popularity Bouck enjoyed did not last, as Bouck was a conservative Democrat.[9] He was so conservative that contemporary newspapers criticized him for being a Whig on the inside.[10] This showed in his friendliness to banks and his distribution of state patronage.[11] Furthermore, he lost a lot of his popularity during an anti-rent dispute, when he sent the militia into Columbia County to try to force the citizens to pay their taxes. This, combined with a split in his party, meant Bouck could not accomplish many of his plans.[12] The “Krout Eater”, “Cabbage Head”, or “Dutch Governor” was unsurprisingly not renominated.[13] His Democratic Party instead chose Silas Wright.[14] He retired from the governorship on January 1st, 1845.[15] Despite his turbulent time as governor, he is still regarded by some as “one of the most economical and watchful governors the people have been fortunate to elect.”[16]

        After his time as Governor, he served as a member of New York’s Constitutional Convention in 1846. In the same year he was appointed by Democratic President James K. Polk as the Assistant Secretary within New York City. He held this position until Whig Zachary Taylor acceded to the Presidency in 1849. After this time, he retired to his homestead in Schoharie.[17]

        Back on his family farm, Bouck resided with his wife Catharine Lawyer, whom he married on September 13, 1807.[18] He also lived with two of his children (Catharine and Charles) and two servants, according to the 1850 Census.[19] He had eleven children total, but only eight lived past infancy.[20] In the 1855 New York State Census, Bouck’s occupation was still listed as a farmer and only one of his children, Charles, within his household.[21] Bouck eventually passed away on April 19th, 1859 on his farm, and was subsequently buried nearby.[22]

Sources

[1] Charles Z Lincoln, "The Governors of New York." Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association 9 (1910): 87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42889417. 

William E. Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, New York, 1713-1882: Volume 1 (Syracuse, NY: Truair, Smith & Bruce Printers and Binders, 1882), 177.

[2] Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, 176.

[3]  Ibid., 177.

[4] John Raimo and Robert Sobel, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978: Volume 3, (Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978), 1078-1079.

[5] “Mortuary Notice.” Plattsburgh Republican (Plattsburgh, New York), April 23, 1859: 2. Readex: America’s Historical Newspapers. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2:134048CBC59A89A9@EANX-1341E33012EA7FB0@2400158-13418F56269D7B98@1-13807F6260AD0C5C@Mortuary+Notice.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Peter Eisenstadt, The Encyclopedia of New York State (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2005), p.201)

[8] Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, 178.

[9] L. Ray Gunn, “The Political Economy of Distribution," in The Decline of Authority: Public Economic Policy and Political Development in New York State, 1800-1860, 99-143, (Cornell University Press: Ithaca, 1988), doi:10.7591/j.ctvr7f325.7.

[10] Ronald E. Shaw, “The Democratic Stop Policy, 1842-1846,” in Erie Water West: A History of the Erie Canal, 1792-1854, 330-360 (University Press of Kentucky: 1996) http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jck1b.21.

[11] Charles Sellers, "Young Hickory," in James K. Polk, Volume II: Continent, 108-61, (Princeton University Press: 1966), http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183pvnd.8.

[12] Raimo and Sobel, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1078-1079.

[13] Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, 178.

[14] Raimo and Sobel, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1078-1079.

[15] “Mortuary Notice.” Plattsburgh Republican, April 23, 1859: 2. Readex: America’s Historical Newspapers.

[16] Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, 177.

[17] “Mortuary Notice.” Plattsburgh Republican, April 23, 1859: 2. Readex: America’s Historical Newspapers.

[18] Holland Society of New York; New York, NY; New Rhinebeck (Sharon) Lawyersville and Cobleskill, Book 88, Page 99.

[19] Year: 1850; Census Place: Fulton, Schoharie, New York; Roll: M432_596: Page 259A; Image: 121.

[20] Raimo and Sobel, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1078-1079.

[21] Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1855 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

[22] Raimo and Sobel, Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1078-1079.