Philip Schuyler

Philip Schuyler, copy of a contemporary picture of John Trumbull by Jacob H. Lazarus from 1881

Philip John Schuyler (born November 20, 1733 in Albany , New York Province, † November 18, 1804 ibid) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War and senator for the state of New York .

Example

Schuyler grew up in a wealthy colonial family. Although his family came from poor backgrounds, they had gradually expanded their land holdings and influence in the New World. His father, John Schuyler Jr. , was a member of the third generation of the family in America and linked them to another prominent family through his marriage to Cornelia Van Cortland.

His father died when Schuyler was seven years old. After attending elementary school in Albany, he was tutored by private tutors at the Van Cortlandt family estate in New Rochelle . He joined the British Army in 1755 during the French and Indian War , raised a company and was made captain by his cousin, Lieutenant Governor James Delancey . Later in that war, he served as quartermaster, buying supplies, and organizing equipment.

Catherine van Rensselaer Schuyler on a painting by Walter Robinson (c. 1795)

In September 1755, Schuyler married Catherine Van Rensselaer in Albany. That cemented ties with yet another powerful New York family. The bride was pregnant at the wedding (their first daughter Angelica Schuyler was born in February 1756), they were a loyal couple for the rest of their lives and had a total of eleven children.

From 1761 to 1762 Schuyler traveled to England to settle bills in his capacity as quartermaster. He also used this time to build a town house in Albany and began building his country estate in Saratoga (now called Schuylerville). After the war, he expanded his country estate in Saratoga, expanded his land to tens of thousands of acres , took tenants and built a shop and mills for flour, flax and rags. His flax mill for making linen was the first of its kind in America. He built several schooners on the Hudson River and named the first "Saratoga".

Schuyler began his political career in 1768 as a member of the New York Council and served in that body until 1775. During this time, his views turned increasingly against the colonial government. He was particularly outspoken on matters of trade and currency. He was also named a major in the militia as a reward for his support for Governor Henry Moore .

American War of Independence

Schuyler was elected to the Second Continental Congress in 1775 and worked there until he was named major general in the Continental Army in June 1775 . General Schuyler took command of the Northern Department and planned the invasion of Canada . His poor health forced him to appoint Richard Montgomery to command the invasion.

As the commanding general of the department, he actively prepared the defense against the Saratoga campaign in 1777 . When General Arthur St. Clair gave up Fort Ticonderoga in July , Congress replaced Schuyler with General Horatio Gates . When Schuyler appealed to a court martial for his discharge, he was acquitted, but left the army anyway in 1779. He then served two more sessions in the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780.

Another résumé

He was a member of the New York Senate from 1780 to 1784 and from 1786 to 1790. As a State Senator, he actively supported the adoption of the United States Constitution . He was elected to the United States' first Senate, and remained there from 1789 to 1791. After not being re-elected, he returned to the State Senate from 1792 to 1797. With the elections of 1796 he came back to the US Senate and worked there from March 4, 1797, before resigning on January 3, 1798 due to health problems.

He lived in the Schuyler Mansion named after him . Schuyler's home was destroyed in September 1777 in the course of the Saratoga campaign by the forces of John Burgoynes . He rebuilt it in the same year in the same place that is now in the south of Schuylerville . It is now managed by the National Park Service and is open to the public.

Schuyler died in November 1814 and was buried in the Albany Country Cemetery in Menands .

Schuyler County , Illinois , Schuyler County in Missouri, and Schuyler County in New York were named in his honor.

progeny

The eldest daughter, Angelica , who was married to John Church, is famous for her correspondence with a number of the leaders of her day. The second daughter, Elizabeth, married Alexander Hamilton , who later became the United States' first Treasury Secretary . The third daughter Margarita was with Stephen Van Rensselaer III. married, who came from one of New York's wealthiest families, served as major general during the 1812 War , and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives . Philip Schuyler's son Philip Jeremiah Schuyler also embarked on a political career that led him to the House of Representatives. To differentiate, the father is commonly called Philip Schuyler , while his son is known as Philip J. Schuyler .

literature

• Bayard Tuckerman: Life of General Philip Schuyler, 1733-1804. Dodd, Mead and Company, New York NY 1903 (Reprinted. Books for Libraries Press, Freeport NY 1969, ISBN 0-8369-5031-3 ).
• Martin H. Bush: Revolutionary Enigma. A Re-Appraisal of General Philip Schuyler of New York (= Empire State historical Publications Series. No. 80). IJ Friedman, Port Washington NY 1969, ISBN 0-87198-080-0 .
• Don R. Gerlach: Proud Patriot. Philip Schuyler and the War of Independence, 1755-1783. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse NY 1987, ISBN 0-8156-2373-9 .

Web links

• Philip Schuyler in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Philip Schuyler in the nndb (English)