His mother was first married to Dirck Hansen (1743–1799), a Captain in the Revolutionary War with whom she had at least seven children before his death.
His parents married in 1800 and his father, William was the 1st Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives and the 2nd President of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), in 1800.
[6] Linn was a member of the class of 1820 at Union College, Schenectady, New York.
He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Schenectady.
[1] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress