Bouck, William C.

Born: 1786-01-07 New York

Died: 1859-04-19 New York

Flourished: New York

Bouck's devotion to farming diverted him from anything more than elementary schooling. He served as the town clerk in Fulton, New York in 1807. That same year, he married Catherine Lawyer, with whom he had eleven children. Bouck served as sheriff from 1812-1813. Resigning from sheriff, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, serving from 1813 to 1817. Bouck was elected to the New York Senate, serving from 1820 to 1821. In 1821, the he was appointed Erie Canal commissioner, a position he held until 1840. Bouck was a Jacksonian Democrat. In 1840, his party nominated him to run against the Whig governor, William H. Seward. He lost the election by only 5,000 votes. In 1842, he tried again, and was successfully elected to governor of New York, serving until 1844.

S. S. Randall, History of the State of New York (New York: J. B. Ford, 1871), 253; Edward K. Spann, "Bouck, William C.," American National Biography, ed. by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 3:240-41.