DeWitt Clinton

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DeWitt Clinton signature
DeWitt Clinton Park, Manhattan (center left: Doughboy monument by Burt Johnson (1890–1927))

DeWitt Clinton (born March 2, 1769 in Little Britain , Orange County , New York province , † February 11, 1828 in Albany , New York ) was an American politician . He was Mayor of New York City and later Governor of New York State.

Life

DeWitt Clinton was born in 1769 to Army Captain James Clinton , who later held the rank of major general in the Northern Department of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War . DeWitt Clinton studied law at what is now Columbia University and graduated in 1786. In 1790 he became private secretary to his uncle George Clinton , the governor of New York state and later US vice president . A short time later he joined the Democratic Republican Party , for which he sat from 1797 to 1802 in the New York State Assembly . He was then elected to the United States Senate. But he gave up this seat again in 1803 because he was dissatisfied with the living conditions in the newly built Washington, DC , and became mayor of New York. As such, Clinton served three terms: from 1803 to 1807, from 1808 to 1810 and from 1811 to 1815. He was also a member of the State Senate of New York (1806-1811) and Vice-Governor (1811-1813) during this period .

In 1812 , as a protest against President James Madison , who was not always popular within the party, Clinton was a candidate for the office of President of the United States from the wing of the Democratic Republicans that spoke out against war against Great Britain and was also supported by the Federalist Party , which had none Candidates nominated, but also did not prevent Rufus King from running, a real federalist, and Clinton from losing a few votes. In the vote he was defeated by the incumbent President; Clinton and his running mate for the office of vice president, Jared Ingersoll , received only 89 electoral votes in Electoral College , while Madison and Elbridge Gerry received 128. In 1816 Clinton was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

DeWitt Clinton was governor of New York from 1817 to 1822 and from 1825 until his death in 1828 . In this role he campaigned for the construction of the Erie Canal , which connects the Great Lakes with the Hudson River in New York State . Clinton inaugurated the canal in 1825. The reduction in transport costs between Lake Erie and the Atlantic brought about by the freight traffic on the new canal accelerated the settlement of the area around the Great Lakes, which is why several newly established towns there are called "DeWitt" or "Clinton".

DeWitt Clinton was a Freemason and a member of Holland Lodge No. 8 ”in New York City .

family

He was married to Maria Franklin from New York City and after her death on July 30, 1818 in Mount Vernon, he married Catharine on April 21, 1819, daughter of Doctor Thomas Jones from New York. With his first wife he had a son, George (born 1807 died 1885), who was mayor of Buffalo from 1842 to 1843 . In addition to George Washington, Franklin, Mary and Julia Catharine Clinton are also named as his children.

His younger brother George also became a politician and sat in the US House of Representatives for New York State from 1805 to 1809 .

DeWitt Clinton died at his home in Albany at the age of 58 and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery , Brooklyn .

Namesake

A number of geographic locations are named after Clinton. Amongst other things:

Publications

  • Discourse before the NY Historical Society. 1812
  • Memoir on the Antiquities of Western New York. 1818
  • Letters on the Natural History and Internal Resources of New York. 1822
  • Speeches to the Legislature. 1823

Individual evidence

  • Source: Clinton, DeWitt page 291ff. Biographical dictionary of America, Vol. II, edited by Rossitter Johnson. Publisher: American Biographical Society, Boston, 1906
  1. ^ Famous Freemasons De Witt Clinton , Homepage: Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon (Retrieved April 25, 2012)
  2. ^ Tribute to the memory of De Witt Clinton, late governor of the state of New York. - page 32

literature

Web links

Commons : DeWitt Clinton  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Edward Livingston Mayor of New York City
1803-1807 		Marinus Willett
predecessor Office successor
Marinus Willett Mayor of New York City
1808–1810 		Jacob Radcliff
predecessor Office successor
Jacob Radcliff Mayor of New York City
1811–1815 		John Ferguson
personal data
SURNAME Clinton, DeWitt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 2, 1769
PLACE OF BIRTH Little Britain , New York
DATE OF DEATH February 11, 1828
Place of death Albany , New York