Our founder Abraham Van Vechten, born in 1762, was the first lawyer admitted to practice in New York after the adoption of the State Constitution. This occurred in October 1785, and, as a result he was forever known as “The Father of the New York Bar.” Initially, he practiced in Johnstown, but soon came to Albany, where he rose to prominence. He had several matters with Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Daniel Webster and the other leading lawyers of his generation.
In the early part of the 19th century he partnered Anthony Van Schaick, another prominent Dutch lawyer. He trained many young attorneys including his nephew and protégé Teunis Van Vechten who joined and later succeeded to his practice.
Throughout his career he represented Stephen Van Rensselaer III, the Dutch “Patroon,” who was the major landholder in upstate New York, and one of the wealthiest individuals in United States history. He is the founder of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Rensselaer, New York.
Abraham Van Vechten participated in several significant cases, including the famous US Supreme Court precedent Gibbons v. Ogden. At the same time as he practiced law, Van Vechten held a number of public offices, including State Assemblyman, State Senator, and Attorney General. He was one of the first directors of the Bank of Albany. He died in January 1837.
Abraham Van Vechten’s portrait hangs in the home of New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals Building in Albany.
