Poughkeepsie, city, seat of Dutchess County, southeastern New York, on the Hudson River; settled by the Dutch 1687, incorporated as a city 1854. It is a commercial and financial center; manufactures include mainframe computers, printed materials, clothing, business machines, electronic equipment, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Vassar College (1861) and Marist College (1946) are here, and Hyde Park, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt lived, is nearby. During the American Revolution, Poughkeepsie was the temporary capital of New York State, and the U.S. Constitution was ratified here in 1788. The community was an important river port until the mid-19th century. The city's name is derived from an Algonquian word, perhaps meaning “a little reed lodge by a water place.” Population 29,757 (1980); 28,844 (1990); 29,871 (2000).
