Schuyler Colfax rose from poverty to become a newspaper editor, U.S. congressman, and Speaker of the House. A strong opponent of slavery, he later served as vice president of the United States under Ulysses S. Grant.
Jacobus Van Cortlandt was a New York merchant and civic leader who served twice as mayor of New York City. A member of the prominent Dutch colonial family, his family lands later became Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Oloff Van Cortlandt was an early Dutch settler of New Netherland who arrived in 1638 and became a successful merchant, brewer, and civic leader in New Amsterdam. His sons later established the influential Van Cortlandt family in New York.
Philip Van Cortlandt was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution and later a U.S. congressman from New York. A member of the prominent Dutch-American family, he also served in the New York State Assembly and Senate.
Pierre Van Cortlandt was a Revolutionary-era statesman and a founding figure in New York State government. He presided over the convention that drafted the state constitution and served as New York’s first lieutenant governor.
Stephanus Van Cortlandt was the first native-born mayor of New York City, serving two terms in the late seventeenth century. A prominent colonial leader, he also held judicial and administrative offices in early New York government.
Walter Cronkite was a pioneering American broadcast journalist and longtime anchor of the CBS Evening News. Widely trusted by the public, he reported major events including the Vietnam War, the moon landing, and Watergate.
Ivo Daalder is a Dutch-American foreign policy expert specializing in European security and transatlantic relations. He served on the U.S. National Security Council and later as the United States ambassador to NATO.
J. Dewey Daane was an American economist and Federal Reserve governor appointed by President Kennedy. An expert in monetary policy and international finance, he later taught for decades at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
John Isaac De Graff was a New York merchant, War of 1812 veteran, and public official. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and also held office as mayor of Schenectady.
