to several newspapers in which he urged Bell and Everett supporters to switch their allegiance to Democrat Stephen A. Douglas as the best chance of preserving the Union. In addition, he was nominated for Congress by a convention that attempted to create a fusion of Bell, Douglas, and John C. Breckinridge supporters, but attracted little support in the 22nd District. In the general election, Republican William E. Lansing soundly defeated Douglas Democrat D. Franklin Chapman. During the American Civil War, Duer remained a unionist, but affiliated with the Democratic Party; in 1861, he was elected as a delegate to the state Democratic convention. Duer continued to advocate concessions to the southern states in order to end the war. Among his proposals was one calling for the slave holding states to return to the Union so they could advocate for secession by means of a Constitutional amendment; in his view, if the southern states were determined to leave the Union, they were required to follow a legal process for doing so rather than engaging in armed rebellion. Retirement and death In retirement, Duer was a resident of Staten Island. He died in New Brighton on August 25, 1879. Duer was buried at Silver Mount Cemetery. Family In 1835, Duer married Lucy Chew (1816-1900), a distant cousin who was the daughter of Beverley Chew and Marie Theodosia (Duer) Chew of New Orleans. They were the parents of John, Beverley, Marie, Anne, Catharine, and Irving. References Sources Books Newspapers External links William Duer (1805–1879) entry at The Political Graveyard 1805 births 1879 deaths American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of Scottish descent De Peyster family Livingston family Schuyler family Columbia College (New York) alumni New York (state) lawyers California lawyers Oswego County District Attorneys Members of the New York State Assembly American consuls County clerks in California California Whigs New York (state) Constitutional Unionists New York (state) Democrats Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians