LEISLER, JAC013 ?-1691) . A char acter prominent in the history of colonial New York. He was born in Frankfort. Germany. and in 1660 came to New Amsterdam as a soldier in the Dutch West India Company's service. Leisler's importance in history is due to the part he played in New York affairs in the three years following the English Revolution in 1688. On May 13, 1689, the New York militia, following the example of Massachusetts, which had imprisoned Andros. rose against Lieu tenant-Governor Nicholson, and the three royal councilors resident in New York seized the Go• ernment for William and Alary, and chose a committee of safety, at the head of which was Leisler, who was appointed commander of the fort. Leisler at once set vigorously to work put ting the town in condition to resist an expected attack from the French. One of his acts was to construct a new half-moon battery on the spot which has since taken the name of the Battery. On December 9th a letter from the new Government in England addressed to Nicholson, or. "in his absence, to such as for the time being take care for preserving the peace and admin istering the laws in the said Province of New York," was delivered to Leisler. Taking this letter as his authority, Leisler assumed the title of Lieutenant-Governor, appointed a council, chose Jacob Milbourne as secretary, and pro eeeded to carry on the government partly in ac cordance with the old Dungan charter. A num ber of the most influential inhabitants, especially those who had held office under the Andros regIme, opposed Leisler. and some of them fled to Albany. which for a time held out against his authority, but after the destruction of Schenec tady, February 19, 1690, by the French and In dians, submitted to him. Thus for a time he was supreme in the Colony; and some of his most violent enemies were imprisoned. In May,
1090, by his invitation, the first intereolonial congress that had ever assembled met in New York, and planned an expedition against Canada, which, however, was unsuccessful. In January, 1691, Captain Ingoldsby, who sailed from Eng land with Slaughter. the new Governor, but had been separated from him at sea, arrived in the Colony, and, although his commission did not give him authority to act as Governor, demanded possession of the fort and of the government. With this demand Leisler refused to comply, and some blued was shed before sloughter himself arrived in March. As soon as he was convinced of the new Governor's authority, Leisler sur rendered; but, at the instigation of Leisler's ene mies, Sloughter convened a special commission of over and terminer, which condemned Leisler. his son-in-law .1ilbourne, and eight others to death. The prisoners were reprieved for a time, hut at length Sloughter was prevailed upon to sign the death-warrants of Leisler and Alilbourne, and on May 11, 1691, they were hanged. Four years later, however, the son of Leisler prosecuted an appeal in England, and succeeded in getting the confiscated estates restored and the bill of at tainder reversed. Upon no other subject in New York colonial history has there been inure dif ference of opinion than upon that of Leisler's character and government, and historians have not yet come to an agreement upon the matter. Consult: Hoffman, The Administration of Jacob Leisler (in vol. xiii. of Sparks's "Library of American Biography," Boston, 1844) : Ilrodhead, History of the State of York (New York, 1553-71) ; and vol. ii. of the Documentary His tory of the State of New York (Albany, 1S49-51).