Jacob Crocheron

Jacob Crocheron (August 23, 1774 – December 27, 1849) was an American farmer, law enforcement officer, and Jacksonian politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1829 to 1831. He was a member of a locally prominent Staten Island family and was the brother of Henry Crocheron, who also served in the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Crocheron was born on August 23, 1774, on Staten Island in Richmond County, New York, during the final years of the American Revolutionary era. He grew up in a largely rural community where agriculture formed the basis of the local economy. From an early age he engaged in agricultural pursuits, establishing himself as a farmer on Staten Island. His background in farming and his ties to the local community helped shape his later public service, grounding his political and law enforcement career in the concerns of a predominantly agrarian constituency.

In addition to his work in agriculture, Crocheron entered public life through local law enforcement. He served as sheriff of Richmond County, New York, on three separate occasions, first in 1802, then again in 1811, and once more in 1821. As sheriff, he was responsible for maintaining public order, executing court orders, and overseeing various aspects of county administration at a time when the office carried significant local authority. His repeated selection for this role reflected both his standing in the community and the trust placed in him by local leaders and voters.

Crocheron’s experience in local office and his alignment with the emerging Jacksonian movement led to his election to national office. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress and served as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831. His term in Congress coincided with the early years of Andrew Jackson’s presidency, a period marked by debates over federal power, economic policy, and political democratization. As a Jacksonian, Crocheron was associated with the broader political realignment that emphasized greater participation by ordinary citizens and skepticism toward entrenched elites and centralized financial power.

After leaving Congress at the close of his term in 1831, Crocheron remained active in public affairs. He continued his involvement in politics as a supporter of the Democratic Party and participated in the electoral process at the state and national levels. Notably, he served as a presidential elector in the 1836 presidential election, casting his vote in the contest that resulted in the election of Martin Van Buren as President of the United States. This role underscored his continued influence within New York’s Jacksonian and later Democratic political circles.

In his later years, Crocheron appears to have divided his time between public engagement and his longstanding agricultural interests on Staten Island. He lived out his life in Richmond County, maintaining his connections to the community in which he had been born and had long served. Jacob Crocheron died in Richmond County, Staten Island, New York, on December 27, 1849. He was interred in St. Andrew’s Churchyard on Staten Island, a historic burial ground that reflects the deep roots of his family and his own enduring association with the island community.