Killian Killian Van Rensselaer (June 9, 1763 – June 18, 1845) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States Congress as a Representative from the state of New York. He was the cousin of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer and the uncle of Solomon Van Vechten Van Rensselaer, who were also Representatives.
Van Rensselaer was born in Greenbush, New York. He completed preparatory studies and attended Yale College, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1784, and commenced practice in Claverack, New York. He was private secretary to General Philip Schuyler.
Van Rensselaer was elected as a Federalist to the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1811. Afterwards, he resumed the practice of law.
Van Rensselaer died in Albany, New York, aged 82, and was interred in a private cemetery at East Greenbush.
Famous quotes containing the words van and/or rensselaer:
“His reversed body gracefully curved, his brown legs hoisted like a Tarentine sail, his joined ankles tacking, Van gripped with splayed hands the brow of gravity, and moved to and fro, veering and sidestepping, opening his mouth the wrong way, and blinking in the odd bilboquet fashion peculiar to eyelids in his abnormal position. Even more extraordinary than the variety and velocity of the movements he made in imitation of animal hind legs was the effortlessness of his stance.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“Let us shun self-analyzation, self-consciousness, morbidness, affectation, attitudinizing. Let us look ahead as little as possible, keeping our eyes on our brushes and on the world of beauty around us.”
—Mariana Griswold Van Rensselaer (1851–1934)