1799, Richard Riker, New York District Attorney, shot in a duel, signed document

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1799, Richard Riker, New York District Attorney, shot in a duel, signed document:
$61.00

This document dated 1799, from the Mayors court, New York, is a levy of damages, signed by Richard Riker as the plainitiff\'s attorney at left and James Fairlie as clerk on the right.Document is about 4x9 inches, vellum, toned, else in overall good condition.

Richard Riker (September 9, 1773 in Newtown, Queens County, New York - September 26, 1842 in New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

He was the son of Congressman Samuel Riker and Anna (Lawrence) Riker (niece of Jonathan Lawrence). He was admitted to the Bar in 1795.

In 1801, he was appointed District Attorney of the First District which included New York, Queens, Kings, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester counties. He was the first District Attorney to act in New York Countywhere until 1801 the New York State Attorney General had prosecuted personally.

He was a second to DeWitt Clinton in a duel with John Swartwout on July 30, 1802 at the Weehawken Dueling Grounds in Weehawken, New Jersey. Clinton was a supporter of Alexander Hamilton and Swartwout was a supporter of Aaron Burr. Swartwout was wounded in the leg. On November 14, 1803 Riker was shot in the leg by John Swartwout\'s brother, Brigadier General Robert Swartwout, in a duel in Weehawken at which Pierre C. Van Wyck acted as Riker\'s second.Riker was a member from New York City of the New York State Assembly in 1806. In March 1807, Riker married Janette Phoenix, daughter of Daniel Phoenix (ca. 1740-1812, New York City Treasurer 1784-1809), and they had six children.

Riker remained in office until 1810, and was District Attorney again from 1811 to 1813. He was Recorder of New York City from 1815 to 1819, from 1821 to 1822, and from 1825 to 1838. By the 1830s, he had become a member of a group known as the New York Kidnapping Club.

MAJOR JAMES FAIRLIE (1757-1830) was the son of a New York merchant and the grandson of a Scottish midshipman who settled in America early in the eighteenth century.

While still in his teens, Fairlie became an ensign on the 1st NY in February of 1776; was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd NY in November 1776 and to Major and Aide-de-Camp to General von Steuben in July 1778 (in which position he served to the close of war). He was considered a delightful companion, and his sallies of wit often caused outbursts of laughter from George Washington.

After the war, he sought to acquire and trade in military bounties and bounty rights. He settled in Albany after the war and in 1791, he was accorded a pension for service. Fairlie was one of the founding members of the New York Society of the Cincinnati.

In August 1786, he married Mary Yates, the daughter of Albany leader and well known Patriot Robert Yates. Fairlie was a noted Federalist and was Marshall of the Albany ratification parade in 1788. By 1800, he had relocated to New York City, where he lived for the remainder of his life.

He was clerk of the Circuit Court of New York City for 30 years and a New York City alderman. In 1796, he was named clerk of the New York State Supreme Court.

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