The Biographical Dictionary of America/Alsop, John

ALSOP, John, delegate, was born in Middletown, Conn., grandson of Richard Alsop, a native of England, who settled at Newtown, Long Island, N.Y., about 1665. John removed to New York when a boy, engaged in mercantile pursuits, and amassed a large fortune. He was an active Whig and was elected a delegate from New York to the Continental congress, serving from Sept. 14, 1774, to Oct. 26, 1774. He was re-elected May 10, 1775, and served until the latter part of that year, when, although favoring independence, he refused to sign the declaration, owing to the fact that he had not received proper instructions from the provincial assembly of New York. Criticism for this resulted in his resignation, and he retired to Middletown, Conn., where he resided until the British troops evacuated the city. He then returned and entered actively into the work of re-organization; was influential in securing a new charter for the New York chamber of commerce, and was elected the eighth president of that body. His daughter Mary (1769-1819) married Rufus King, a member of the U.S. senate and minister to England. He died at Newtown, Long Island, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1794.