Claus, William

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Robert S. Allen, “CLAUS, WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/claus_william_6E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Army and militia officer, Indian Department official, office holder, jp, and politician; b. 8 Sept. 1765 at Williamsburg (formerly Mount Johnson), near present-day Amsterdam, N.Y., son of Christian Daniel Claus and Ann (Nancy) Johnson; m. 25 Feb. 1791 Catherine Jordan, daughter of Jacob Jordan, and they had three sons and two daughters who survived to adulthood; d. 11 Nov. 1826 in Niagara (Niagara-on-the-Lake), Upper Canada.
    • A man of modest abilities, William Claus was fortunate to be born into a family of prominence, wealth, and influence. His maternal grandfather, Sir William Johnson, had vast estates in the Mohawk valley and was superintendent of northern Indians. His father held important positions in the Indian Department also. Claus’s family had intended to give him a proper education in a New York City school but was prevented from doing so by the outbreak of civil war and rebellion in colonial America, which forced them to flee to the province of Quebec late in the spring of 1775.
    • Young Claus began his military service about 1777 by enlisting as a volunteer in the King’s Royal Regiment of New York under the command of his uncle Sir John Johnson. In the summer of 1782 he apparently took part in a successful raid by Joseph Brant against the settlements at Fort Dayton (Herkimer, N.Y.) and nearby Fort Herkimer. By war’s end, he was a lieutenant in the regiment. In October 1787 he obtained a lieutenancy in a regular British regiment, the 60th Foot, and in February 1795 was promoted captain.
    • In 1796 the death of John Butler opened a place that Johnson was able to obtain for Claus. He was named deputy superintendent of the Six Nations at Fort George (Niagara-on-the-Lake), a position which gave him responsibility for the Indians of the Grand River, among others. Claus reached his post in October 1796 and immediately became involved in the conflict between Joseph Brant and the government over Brant’s claim that the Six Nations of the Grand River had the right to sell off portions of their lands as they chose. Claus argued the government’s case: that the Indians did not have full sovereignty over unceded land and that under the Royal Proclamation of 1763 the sale of Indian lands could be made only through the crown.
    • On 30 Sept. 1800 Claus took another step up in the Indian Department when he was appointed to succeed Alexander McKee as deputy superintendent general for Upper Canada, a post he would hold until his death.
    • Claus undertook a number of other responsibilities in addition to his work for the Indian Department. In 1812 he had been appointed to the Legislative Council, and after becoming an honorary member of the prestigious Executive Council in 1816 was made a full member in 1818. In 1816 he had been named, along with Thomas Clark and others, to the commission that negotiated with Lower Canadian representatives about the division between the two provinces of the revenue from customs duties. He had been a justice of the peace since 1803. He was also a trustee for the Niagara public school and a commissioner of customs for the Niagara District.
  • United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1542
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222440846/william-claus