William Floyd lived a long time ago and we remember and honor him to this day. Not just as a man from Suffolk County, from Brookhaven – ‘Mastic Neck’, but as an American in the larger sense.
Suffolk County Legislator James Mazzarella said, “My colleagues and I unanimously approved Introductory Resolution 1634-2025, which I proudly sponsored, declaring December 17th, his birthdate, as “William Floyd Day” in Suffolk County.
William Floyd, born on December 17, 1734 in Mastic, was a farmer, soldier, statesman, and one of America’s Founding Fathers. William’s great-grandfather settled in the Province of New York around 1640 and around 1688 his grandfather purchased 4,400 acres in Mastic Neck of the Town of Brookhaven. In 1723, William’s father built the Old Mastic House that served as the family’s home and where William was born.
William Floyd Day is a day to celebrate his legacy and to honor his contributions to American freedom and to Suffolk County.
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, it is only fitting that we honor this Suffolk County icon, patriot, and American hero. December 17th will forever stand as a day to celebrate his legacy and the freedoms he helped secure for all of us,” said Mazzarella
In 1755 his parents died and William, in his teens, was required to take over the operations of the family farm; and although he was primarily a farmer he also served in local politics. In the early 1770s William received a colonel’s commission in the Suffolk County Militia in the early conflict with Britain, attaining the rank of Major General.
In 1774 he was chosen to represent New York in the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress, where he served from 1774 to 1776 and until the end of the Revolutionary War. While in Philadelphia, attending the Continental Congress, the American troops evacuated Long Island, which was taken possession by the British army. On July 4, 1776 William Floyd was the only man from New York’s Suffolk County to sign the Declaration of Independence.
The resolution declares that “beginning in 2025 and continuing every year thereafter December 17th shall be designated as “William Floyd Day” to raise awareness of William Floyd’s contributions as an American Founding Father, being the only signer of the Declaration of Independence from Suffolk County, a farmer and a political leader from Suffolk County, New York.”
The William Floyd House is located in Mastic Beach and is part of Fire Island National Seashore. It consists of the home, grounds and a cemetery of the Floyd family. Over the course of 200 years, eight generations of Floyds have managed the 25-room mansion and 613-acre property. It remains the only surviving home of a New York signer of the Declaration of Independence that is open to the public
There are quite a few places named after William Floyd, including:
- William Floyd School District in present-day Brookhaven Town, which includes William Floyd Elementary, William Floyd middle school, and William Floyd High School.
- William Floyd Parkway in the Town of Brookhaven.
- Town of Floyd in Oneida County.
- General William Floyd Elementary School in the Holland Patent School District in Oneida County.