During the administration of the royal GovernorClinton, father of Sir Henry Clinton, he severed his connections with the "court party" and was consequently regarded with scant favor by the executive and his adherents. He was appointed to the office of lieutenant-governor by the proper authority in England, but Clinton revengefully withheld the commission for six years, delivering it to him only upon the eve of his own permanent retirement. This happened in October, 1753, when the newly appointed governor. Sir Danvers Osboru, arrived. A very few days later Osborn committed suicide, and de Lancey thus became acting governor. He held the po-

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

sition until 1755, serving- so acceptably that when another vacancy occurred in 1757 the home government permitted him to practically succeed to the full dignity of governor, having decided to make no new appointment to the place during his lifetime. Thus de Lancey was the first native American to serve regularly as governor of the Province of New York, as his grandfather, Stephanas Van Cortlandt, was the first to hold the office of mayor of New York City. He died on the 30th of July, 1700, being at that time both governor and chief justice of New York. Governor de Lancey had three sons who grew up -- James, Stephen, and John Peter. James was prominent politically after his father's death until the devolution, and then became a Tory; he married a daughter of Chief Justice William Allen, of Pennsylvania; two of his sons were officers in the British military and naval service. Stephen received from his father as a gift what is now the Town of North Salem in this county (which came to the elder de Lancey as his share in the Manor of Cortlandt). It was under his land sales that that toAvn was settled.