Colonel Marinus Willett was an American military officer, politician, and merchant who served as the mayor of New York City from 1807 to 1808. During the American Revolution, he was a prominent Patriot leader in colonial New York and served in the Continental Army, participating in numerous campaigns throughout the Northwest. Willett was born in Jamaica, Queens, and trained as a cabinetmaker before enlisting in the provincial militia after the French and Indian War broke out in 1754. After the conflict, he attended King's College in New York and became a prominent member of the Sons of Liberty. Willett was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1783 and served intermittently as New York County Sheriff.
