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William Duer (March 25, 1805 – August 25, 1879) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New York in the United States House of Representatives.
Biography
William Duer was born in New York City on March 25, 1805, the son of John Duer (1782–1858) and Anna Bedford Bunner Duer (1783–1864). William Duer was the grandson of Continental Congressman William Duer (1747–1799) and great-grandson of General William Alexander.
He graduated from Columbia College in 1824, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in New York City. He ran unsuccessfully for the New York State Assembly in 1832. He later moved to Oswego, New York, where he continued to practice law. Duer served in the Assembly in 1840 and 1841. In 1842 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress.
Duer was a Delegate to the 1844 Whig National Convention, and he served as Oswego County District Attorney from 1845 to 1847.
In 1846 Duer was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Whig. He was reelected in 1848 and served in the 30th and 31st Congresses, March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1851.
After leaving Congress Duer was appointed Consul in Valparaíso, Chile, and he served from 1851 to 1853.
In 1854 he began residence in San Francisco, California. He became a Republican when the party was organized in the mid-1850s, and he practiced law and served as San Francisco's City and County Clerk from 1858 to 1859.
In 1859 Duer retired to Staten Island. He died in New Brighton on August 25, 1879, and was buried at Silver Mount Cemetery.