Duer, William

Duer, William

(1747–99) merchant, financier; born in Devonshire, England. He came to New York City in 1773–74 and quickly became an ardent patriot and prosperous merchant. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress (1777–79) and thwarted the Conway Cabal conspiracy in 1778. He was briefly assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury (1789–90). Often involved in financial and land speculations, he was imprisoned for debt (1792–99, except for a short period in 1797), an event that brought about the first financial panic in New York's history.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.