Jacob Leisler (1640-1691)

Leisler led the 1689 rebellion in New York following the Glorious Revolution.  The overthrow of James II in 1688 and the subsequent downfall of the Dominion of New England threw colonial politics into disarray.  Leisler headed the New York City militia and seized Fort James on May 31, 1689.  He was chosen as "captain of the fort" in August, and he led a militantly anti-Catholic faction that supported the claims of William of Orange to the throne.  Leisler was tried for his arbitrary  seizure of authority and his refusal to relinquish it at the demand of the new governor.  He was condemned to death for treason. New York politics for a decade thereafter was characterized by a division between Leislerians and Anti-Leislerians.

Eva Goldsmith

Bibliography: Concise Dictionary of American Biography, fourth edition, p. 642; Jackson, Kenneth T., ed., The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.