Henry Schermerhorn De Forest

Henry Schermerhorn De Forest (February 16, 1847 – February 13, 1917) was a U.S. Representative from New York and a prominent civic and business leader in Schenectady. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term in Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and representing the interests of his constituents in the early twentieth century.

De Forest was born in Schenectady, New York, on February 16, 1847. He was the third son of Obadiah Lansing De Forest and Sarah (née Vedder) De Forest. His father was active in local politics, first being elected deputy sheriff on the Know Nothing ticket and later serving three terms as the Democratic sheriff of Schenectady beginning in 1855. His paternal grandparents were Jacob De Forest and Anna (née Lansing) De Forest, members of established families in the region. Raised in this politically engaged and locally rooted household, De Forest grew up in an environment that combined public service with entrepreneurial activity.

De Forest received his early education at the Union Classical Institute in Schenectady. He then pursued commercial studies and graduated in 1864 from Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York, an institution known for training young men for careers in business and finance. This education provided him with the practical skills and business acumen that would underpin his later success as a farmer, contractor, and real estate investor, and it prepared him for the responsibilities he would assume in both the private and public sectors.

Following his education, De Forest embarked on a varied and successful business career. He was a farmer who specialized in the production of broom corn, an important agricultural commodity used in the manufacture of brooms. He expanded his activities into real estate and became the largest landlord in the city of Schenectady. As a building contractor, his company constructed more than 1,000 homes in the Schenectady area, contributing significantly to the city’s residential development during a period of rapid growth. De Forest was also active in banking, serving on the board of directors of the Citizens’ Trust Companies, and he participated in the emerging automobile industry by owning a Pierce automobile dealership in Schenectady after the advent of the motorcar.

De Forest’s prominence in business and local affairs led naturally to a career in municipal government. He served as Schenectady’s City Recorder from 1883 to 1885, a position that involved important administrative and judicial responsibilities. He was then elected mayor of Schenectady, serving from 1885 to 1887 and again from 1889 to 1891. As mayor, he played a pivotal role in shaping the city’s industrial future. He successfully advocated for the newly formed General Electric Company to locate its expanded operations in Schenectady when the company was created through the merger of several firms, including the Edison Machine Works, which had moved to Schenectady in 1886. Largely as a result of his efforts, General Electric chose Schenectady as a principal site in 1892, a decision that transformed the city into a major center of electrical manufacturing and employment.

Building on his local political experience, De Forest entered national politics as a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to the Sixty-second Congress and served as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1913. During his single term in office, he contributed to the legislative process at a time when the nation was grappling with issues of industrial regulation, economic change, and political reform. Although specific committee assignments and legislative initiatives are less prominently recorded, his service reflected the concerns of a rapidly industrializing district and the broader Republican agenda of the era. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the Sixty-third Congress, and he later sought to return to Congress without success, failing to secure the Republican nomination in 1914 for the Sixty-fourth Congress and losing a race for election in 1916 to the Sixty-fifth Congress.

In his personal life, De Forest married Lucie E. Van Epps (1849–1930) on September 6, 1876. She was the daughter of Harmonus Van Epps, a member of another longstanding family in the region. The couple had two daughters: Beulah DeForest, who married William Howard Wright, and Pearl DeForest, who married George Kellogg Morris. Through his family connections and his own endeavors, De Forest was closely tied to the social and economic fabric of Schenectady.

Henry Schermerhorn De Forest remained a resident of Schenectady throughout his life and continued to be associated with its civic and economic development until his death. He died in Schenectady on February 13, 1917, three days before his seventieth birthday, and was interred in Vale Cemetery in that city. His widow, Lucie E. Van Epps De Forest, survived him by more than a decade and died on September 5, 1930.