Ten Eyck family
A Dutch-American family associated with Albany, New York, public service, business, engineering, the arts, and regional civic life.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Ten Eyck family is a Dutch-American family whose American branch emerged in New Netherland during the seventeenth century and later became strongly associated with Albany, New York. The family's early American patriarch was Coenraedt Ten Eyck, who came from the Low Countries to New Amsterdam in the 1650s. He worked as a shoemaker and tanner and accumulated property in the settlement that later became New York City. His son Jacob moved north to Albany, where he established himself as a silversmith and helped create the family's long-running connection with the city's commercial and political institutions. Across subsequent generations, members of the family held public offices and professional positions in Albany, New York State, New York City, and New Jersey. Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck, a silversmith and civic official, served as Albany's mayor from 1748 to 1750 after earlier service as an alderman, sheriff, fire officer, and member of the city council. He also worked as a commissioner of Indian affairs and a judge. During the revolutionary period he was associated with Albany's anti-Federalist political faction and opposed ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. Other descendants entered state and federal politics. Anthony E. Ten Eyck participated in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and later served as a judge and New York State senator. Egbert Ten Eyck represented New York in the United States House of Representatives, while John Conover Ten Eyck represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck, a civil and railway signal engineer, served multiple non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives and was active in professional, historical, religious, and insurance organizations. The family's activities were not limited to politics. Members worked as silversmiths, merchants, lawyers, engineers, railroad specialists, artists, athletes, coaches, and entrepreneurs. James A. Ten Eyck and his son Edward became prominent in rowing as competitors and coaches; the Ten Eyck Trophy commemorates James's association with the sport. John Adams Ten Eyck III was a painter and etcher. The family also maintained a visible presence in Albany's built environment and commercial history. Two businesses are particularly associated with the name. The Ten Eyck Hotel opened in Albany in 1918 after construction began in 1917. The seventeen-story hotel stood at State and Pearl Streets, included dining facilities and an oyster bar, and served as a prominent downtown establishment. It was later operated by the United Hotels Company and remodeled under Sheraton ownership before closing and being demolished in 1971. The Ten Eyck Group, an insurance agency founded by Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck in 1905, became one of upstate New York's older insurance firms. It was incorporated in 1932, expanded under his son Peter Gansevoort Dederick Ten Eyck, and eventually transitioned from family management to outside leadership. The family name remains embedded in the regional landscape. Streets and other places in the eastern United States, especially around the greater New York metropolitan area, carry the Ten Eyck name. As a subject, the Ten Eyck family is therefore best understood not as a single consumer brand but as a historical family network whose influence combined civic office, entrepreneurship, professional achievement, and place-making in New York and neighboring states.
History
The Ten Eyck family traces its American history to Coenraedt Ten Eyck, who came from the Netherlands to New Amsterdam during the seventeenth century. He was associated with shoemaking, tanning, and property ownership. His son Jacob relocated to Albany, where he trained and worked as a silversmith. This move established Albany as the central setting for many later generations of the family. The family's prominence developed through a combination of commercial success, municipal office, landholding, and professional service. Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck became one of the most consequential early Albany members. He served in municipal roles, became county sheriff, and was appointed mayor in 1748. His other responsibilities included work as a fire officer, commissioner of Indian affairs, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas. During the revolutionary era, he participated in the Committee of Safety and later opposed ratification of the Federal Constitution as an Albany anti-Federalist. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, other Ten Eycks served in state and national government. Anthony E. Ten Eyck was connected with the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and later held judicial and legislative office. Egbert Ten Eyck served in Congress from New York, and John Conover Ten Eyck represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. Coenraad Anthony Ten Eyck held county offices in Albany, while Abraham Cuyler Ten Eyck was associated with the California gold rush as a Forty-niner. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought wider professional diversification. Jacob Lansing Ten Eyck became a lawyer and New York politician after working in commerce and studying law. His brother Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck trained as a civil engineer, worked in railway signal engineering, joined the Federal Railway Signal Company, and eventually became its vice-president and general manager. He entered national politics as a Democratic member of Congress, serving terms in the 63rd and 67th Congresses. He also founded the Ten Eyck Group insurance agency in 1905. The Ten Eyck name became associated with both insurance and hospitality. The Ten Eyck Hotel opened in downtown Albany in 1918 as a major seventeen-story establishment with dining facilities. Its later history included operation by the United Hotels Company, remodeling under Sheraton, closure, and demolition in 1971. The Ten Eyck Group was incorporated in 1932 and continued under successive generations of the family. Peter Gansevoort Dederick Ten Eyck succeeded his father after 1944, and John Ten Eyck became president in 1974. When John retired in 2002, leadership passed to a non-family executive. The family also contributed to sport and culture. James A. Ten Eyck and Edward Ten Eyck achieved distinction as rowers and coaches, and the Ten Eyck Trophy commemorates James. John Adams Ten Eyck III worked as a painter and etcher. Political figures, engineers, athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs collectively extended the family's public profile beyond Albany. Place names, particularly in New York and the wider eastern United States, preserve the family's regional legacy.
- 2002
Ten Eyck Group leaves family leadership
[1]John Ten Eyck retired and leadership of the insurance group passed to a non-family executive.
- 1971
Ten Eyck Hotel demolished
[1]The former Albany hotel building was demolished; the site was later redeveloped as Ten Eyck Plaza.
- 1944
Leadership of Ten Eyck Group passes to the next generation
[1]After Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck died, his son Peter Gansevoort Dederick Ten Eyck became president of the insurance firm.
- 1932
Ten Eyck Group incorporated
[1]The family insurance business was formally incorporated.
- 1918
Ten Eyck Hotel opens in Albany
[1]The seventeen-story Ten Eyck Hotel began operating at State and Pearl Streets in downtown Albany.
- 1905
Ten Eyck Group founded
[1]Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck established the insurance agency later known as the Ten Eyck Group.
- 1788
Anti-Federalist opposition to constitutional ratification
[1]Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck joined Albany anti-Federalists opposing ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution.
- 1748
Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck becomes mayor of Albany
[1]Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck was appointed mayor of Albany and served for two years.
- 1651
Coenraedt Ten Eyck arrives in New Amsterdam
[1]Coenraedt Ten Eyck moved from the United Provinces to New Amsterdam and became the founding figure of the family's American branch.
Products and positioning
A historically prominent Dutch-American family associated with Albany civic leadership, regional business, engineering, politics, and cultural life.
Insurance services · 1905
Ten Eyck Group
An insurance agency founded in Albany in 1905 by Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck. The business was incorporated in 1932, expanded during the tenure of Peter Gansevoort Dederick Ten Eyck, and remained associated with the family for much of the twentieth century. It is described as one of the older insurance firms in upstate New York.
Hospitality · 1918
Ten Eyck Hotel
A seventeen-story hotel at the intersection of State and Pearl Streets in Albany. Opened in 1918, it catered to the city's elite and included a restaurant and oyster bar. The property was later remodeled under Sheraton ownership, closed in the late 1960s, and was demolished in 1971.
Brand decisions
2002
Transition from family to outside management at Ten Eyck GroupStrategyBackground
The insurance group had been led by successive generations of the Ten Eyck family since its founding.
Action taken
Upon John Ten Eyck's retirement, management passed to a non-family executive.
Aftermath
The business continued as a regional insurance firm, but the available reference does not specify its later ownership or operating status.
1971
Demolition of the Ten Eyck HotelOtherBackground
The Albany hotel had operated since 1918 and had subsequently been remodeled under Sheraton ownership.
Action taken
The hotel building was demolished and the site was later replaced by Ten Eyck Plaza.
Aftermath
A section of the hotel's bar was preserved and relocated to The Depot Grille in Staunton, Virginia.
Sources1 sources
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