John was born in Tryon County, New York in 1773, and was a nephew of the revolutionary General Nicholas Herkimer. He attended public schools, and served as a judge in local courts. He was elected to the state assembly several times, and served in New York's constitutional convention of 1801.
During the War of 1812, he served in the militia as a Major, leading a battalion in the defense of Sackets Harbor, New York.
He was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Jeffersonian Republican in 1816 and 1822.
He died at his home in Danube, New York on June 8, 1848.
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