View source for Simon Boerum

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| caption            = Portrait of Verheyden (top) with fellow Hague painters [[Jan George Freezen]] and [[Pierre Lyonnet|Pieter Lyonet]] in [[Johan van Gool]]'s ''Schouburg''
| birth_date         = 29 February 1724
| birth_place        = [[Brooklyn]], [[Province of New York|New York]], [[British Empire]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1775|7|11|1724|2|29|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Brooklyn]], [[Province of New York|New York]], [[British Empire]]
| burial_place       = [[New York City]], [[New York (State)|New York]], [[United States]]
}}
'''Simon Boerum''' (February 29, 1724 – July 11, 1775) was a farmer, miller, and political leader from [[Brooklyn]], [[Province of New York|New York]]. He represented New York in the [[Continental Congress]] in 1774 and 1775. He signed the [[Continental Association]]. 

Boerum's family settled on [[Long Island]] when it was a part of the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] colony of [[New Netherland]]. His parents were William Jacob Boerum (1687–1766) and Rachel (Bloom) Boerum (1690–1738), who farmed in the town of [[East New York, Brooklyn|New Lots]], in Kings County, New York, which is now part of [[Brooklyn]]. Simon was born there on February 29, 1724, and was baptized in the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] on March 8. He attended and graduated from the Dutch school in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]]. Boerum farmed and operated a mill in Flatbush. In 1748, he bought a home and garden at what is today the southwest corner of [[Fulton Street (Brooklyn)|Fulton]] and Hoyt streets in [[downtown Brooklyn]]. On April 30, 1748, he married Maria Schenck (1726–1771), and the house became their home for the rest of their lives.

In 1750, Governor [[George Clinton (Royal Navy officer)|George Clinton]] appointed Boerum as [[Municipal clerk|county clerk]] for Kings County. He would hold that office for the rest of his life, as well as a seat in the [[Province of New York]] Assembly after 1761. In 1774, the Assembly could not reach agreement about the Continental Congress. Kings County selected him to represent them, and on October 1, 1774, the Congress added him to the New York delegation. In the Congress, he supported the non-importation agreement and the more radical members in general. He helped to defeat the [[Galloway's Plan of Union|Galloway Plan]] for union and reconciliation with England.

Early in 1775, the Colony's Assembly rejected the work of the first Congress and was hurriedly adjourned to prevent further measures from consideration. In April, Boerum was elected to the revolutionary [[New York Provincial Congress]]. That body in turn named him once again to the Continental Congress, but illness soon forced his return from [[Philadelphia]]. Simon died at home on July 11, 1775, and was originally buried in the Dutch Burying Ground in New Lots. In 1848, he and his wife, Maria, were re-interred in the [[Green-Wood Cemetery]] in Brooklyn.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000591 ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'']</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{congbio|id=B000591|name=Simon Boerum}}

{{Signers of the Continental Association}}
{{Authority control}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boerum, Simon}}
[[Category:1724 births]]
[[Category:1775 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery]]
[[Category:Members of the New York General Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the New York Provincial Congress]]
[[Category:Continental Congressmen from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Politicians from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from the Province of New York]]
[[Category:Signatories of the Continental Association]]
[[Category:18th-century American farmers]]
[[Category:Millers]]