Royalist.

James De Lancey was one of many Huguenot descendants whose families fled to New York after Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Many Huguenots settled in New York and South Carolina and had a considerable influence on the direction of the American colonies. James De Lancey was no exception. Born in America, De Lancey studied law in England and returned to New York in 1725. In 1729 he became a member of the royal council. In 1731 he took the position of associate judge on the colony's supreme court, and in 1733 he became the chief justice of the colony. Through the administrations of royal governors William Cosby (1732-1736) and George Clarke (1736-1743) De Lancey actively supported imperial prerogatives. His progression to justice and chief justice, all the while remaining on the council, spoke to his dedication to Crown...