Obadiah German

Obadiah German (born  April 22, 1766 in Amenia , Province of New York , †  September 24, 1842 in Norwich , New York ) was an American lawyer and politician ( Democratic Republican Party ) who served in the state of New York in the US Senate represented.

Promotion to Senator

After attending school, Obadiah German embarked on a legal career. He studied law , was inducted into the bar in 1792 and began practicing in Norwich. Over time he also became politically active. In 1798 he was first a member of the New York State Assembly ; further terms followed there from 1804 to 1805 and from 1807 to 1809. Within his party, German was one of the supporters of DeWitt Clinton .

Eventually he was elected to succeed the no longer running US Senator Samuel Latham Mitchill and entered Congress on March 4, 1809 , where he spent a full legislative period up to March 3, 1815. He made a name for himself through his criticism of the military preparations for the British-American War and voted against the declaration of war in the Senate.

Another résumé

In 1812, German was one of the founding curators of Hamilton College in Clinton . After his time in the Senate, he held the office of judge in Chenango County from 1815 to 1819 ; In addition, he was an officer in the state militia, where he rose to major general. After DeWitt Clinton became governor of New York in 1817 , German joined his government as Commissioner of Public Works and, in this role, supported Clinton's plans to build the Erie Canal .

In 1819 Obadiah German returned to the State Assembly of New York and was temporarily its speaker . After that he withdrew largely from politics and worked as a lawyer; after founding the Whig Party , he became a member.

The city of German in Chenango County is named after Obadiah German, who died on September 24, 1842.

Web links

• Obadiah German in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Obadiah German in the database of Find a Grave (English)