Leisler, << LYS lur, >> Jacob (1640-1691), served as governor of the English colony of New York from 1689 to 1691. The people of the middle class chose him as their protector against attacks from the French in Canada. They regarded him as their champion against the wealthy merchants and landowners. He ruled without authority from the king, and, when William and Mary became rulers of England, they sent Henry Sloughter to replace him. Leisler yielded to Sloughter, but the merchants and landowners accused him of treason. Leisler was tried and executed. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
