Alfred Clark Chapin

Born on March 8, 1848, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Alfred Clark Chapin was educated in several New England towns before graduating from Williams College in 1869 and Harvard Law School in 1871. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and built his legal career in New York City while living in Brooklyn.

Chapin became a prominent Democrat in New York politics. He served in the New York State Assembly, where he was speaker in 1883, then as state comptroller from 1884 to 1887, mayor of Brooklyn from 1888 to 1891, and later as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1891–1892. After leaving Congress, he served as a New York railroad commissioner and remained active in law and business.

He died on October 2, 1936, while visiting Montreal, Canada. Beyond politics, he is also remembered at Williams College for major gifts, including rare books and support connected with what became the Chapin Library.