George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1814 portrait | |
| 4th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Aaron Burr |
| Succeeded by | Elbridge Gerry |
| 1st Governor of New York | |
| In office July 1, 1801 – June 30, 1804 | |
| Lieutenant | Jeremiah Van Rensselaer |
| Preceded by | John Jay |
| Succeeded by | Morgan Lewis |
| In office July 30, 1777 – June 30, 1795 | |
| Lieutenant | Pierre Van Cortlandt |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | John Jay |
| Delegate to the Continental Congress from New York | |
| In office May 15, 1775 – July 8, 1776 | |
| Member of the New York General Assembly from Ulster County | |
| In office 1768–1775 | |
| Acting President of Columbia University | |
| In office 1784–1787 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Moore (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William Samuel Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 26 [O.S. July 15] 1739 Little Britain, Province of New York, British America |
| Died | April 20, 1812 (aged 72) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Old Dutch Churchyard, Kingston, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse |
Cornelia Tappen
(m. 1770; died 1800) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Charles Clinton (father) Elizabeth Denniston (mother) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Great Britain United States |
| Branch/service |  Privateer (GB) British Army (GB) Continental Army (US) |
| Rank | Lieutenant (GB) Brigadier general (US) |
| Unit | Defiance |
| Battles/wars | French and Indian War American Revolutionary War |
George Clinton (July 26, 1739 – April 20, 1812)
Clinton served in the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of lieutenant in the colonial militia. He began a legal practice after the war and served as a district attorney for New York City. He became Governor of New York in 1777 and remained in that office until 1795. Clinton supported the cause of independence during the American Revolutionary War and served in the Continental Army despite his gubernatorial position. During and after the war, Clinton was an opponent of Vermont's entrance into the Union on account of disputes over land claims.
Opposed to the
Clinton was again tapped as the Democratic-Republican vice presidential nominee in the 1804 election, as President Thomas Jefferson dumped Aaron Burr from the ticket. Clinton sought his party's presidential nomination in the 1808 election, but the party's congressional nominating caucus instead nominated James Madison. Despite his opposition to Madison, Clinton was re-elected as vice president. Clinton died in 1812, leaving the office of vice president vacant for the first time in U.S. history. Clinton's nephew, DeWitt Clinton, continued the Clinton New York political dynasty after his uncle's death.
Early life
Clinton was born in 1739 in
French and Indian War service
During the French and Indian War, he first served on the privateer Defiance operating in the Caribbean,[3] before enlisting in the provincial militia, where his father held the rank of Colonel. During the French and Indian War George rose to the rank of Lieutenant, accompanying his father in 1758 on Bradstreet's 1758 seizure of Fort Frontenac, cutting one of the major communication and supply lines between the eastern centers of Montreal and Quebec City and France's western territories. He and his brother James were instrumental in capturing a French vessel.[4]
Political career
His father's survey of the New York frontier so impressed the provincial governor (also named George Clinton, and "a distant relative"[3]) that he was offered a position as sheriff of New York City and the surrounding county in 1748. After the elder Clinton declined the honor, the governor later designated George as successor to the Clerk of the Ulster County Court of Common Pleas, a position he would assume in 1759 and hold for the next 52 years.[5]
After the war, he read law in New York City under the attorney William Smith. He returned home (which at that time was part of Ulster County) and began his legal practice in 1764. He became district attorney the following year.
Revolutionary War
As a member of the New York General Assembly, Clinton was a vocal opponent of British imperial policies. In January 1775, he introduced a motion for the Assembly to approve the resolutions of the
Wartime governor
On March 25, 1777, Clinton was commissioned a brigadier general in the
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He was known for his hatred of
National leader
In the early 1780s, Clinton supported
Twentieth-century historian
In the
In the
He did not run for re-election as governor in 1795. Some Democratic-Republican party leaders attempted to recruit him to run for vice president in
Threats to conquer Vermont
The land that is in the present-day state of Vermont was before 1764 a disputed territory claimed by the colonies of New Hampshire and New York. During 1749–1764 it was governed as a de facto part of New Hampshire and many thousands of settlers arrived. In 1764 King George III awarded the disputed region, then called the New Hampshire Grants, to New York. New York refused to recognize property claims based on New Hampshire law, thus threatening the eviction of many settlers. Consequently, New York's authority was resisted by local authorities and the militia known as the Green Mountain Boys. In 1777, having no further hope of rulings from the king or courts of England to protect their property, the politicians of the disputed territory declared it an independent state to be called Vermont. Vermont's repeated petitions for admission to the Union over the next several years were denied by the Continental Congress, in large part because of opposition from the state of New York and its governor George Clinton.
In 1778 Clinton wrote to some Vermonters loyal to New York, encouraging them "to Oppose the ridiculous and destructive Scheme of erecting those Lands into an Independent State."[14]
On March 2, 1784, the legislature of New York, with Clinton's support, instructed its Congressional delegates to "press Congress for a decision in the long protracted controversy" and that New York would have to "recur to force, for the preservation of her lawful authority"[15] and that if Congress would not act, then New York would be "destitute of the protection of the United States."
However, a Congressional committee recommended recognition of Vermont and its admission to the Union. The committee's recommended bill was opposed by New York's delegates and did not pass. Six years later the New York legislature decided to give up New York's claims to Vermont on the condition that Congress would admit Vermont to the Union, and the new state was admitted on March 4, 1791.
Vice presidency (1805–1812)
Clinton was selected as President Jefferson's running mate in the
When the Democratic-Republican ticket won the 1804 election, Clinton became the fourth vice president of the United States, and would become the first vice president to serve under two presidents, Jefferson and Madison. During his first term as vice president, under Thomas Jefferson, Clinton found himself marginalized by the President, as Jefferson sought to avoid enhancing his vice president's stature―still cognizant that Clinton could challenge Madison in 1808. Not only was Clinton largely ignored by President Jefferson, he struggled in his position as President of the Senate. He was unfamiliar with the rules of the Senate, and many senators viewed him as an ineffective presiding officer.[2]
Clinton attempted to challenge Madison for the presidency in the
Death
In his eighth year as Vice President (his fourth under President Madison), George Clinton died from a heart attack on April 20, 1812, at the age of 72. Clinton was the first vice president to die in office as well as the first vice president to die overall. Clinton was the first of two vice presidents to serve in the position under two different presidents, the other being John C. Calhoun.
His original burial was in Washington, D.C. He was re-interred at the Old Dutch Churchyard in Kingston, New York, in 1908.
Clinton's nephew, DeWitt Clinton, challenged Madison in 1812 after George Clinton's death. DeWitt Clinton won the backing of most Federalists, but was nonetheless defeated by Madison.[16]
Marriage and children
On February 7, 1770, Clinton married Sarah Cornelia Tappen (died 1800); they had five daughters and one son. Only three of them outlived their father, and the longest-lived child died at the age of just 45.
- Catharine Clinton (1770–1811); married firstly, to John Taylor, and secondly Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr.
- Cornelia Tappen Clinton (1774–1810); married Edmond-Charles Genêt
- George Washington Clinton (1778–1813); married Anna Floyd, daughter of William Floyd
- Elizabeth Clinton (1780–1825); married Matthias B. Tallmadge
- Martha Washington Clinton (1783–1795)
- Maria Clinton (1785–1829); married Dr. Stephen D. Beekman, a grandson of Pierre Van Cortlandt
Legacy
Historian Alan Taylor described George Clinton as "The astutest politician in Revolutionary New York," a man who "understood the power of symbolism and the new popularity of a plain style especially when practiced by a man with the means and accomplishments to set himself above the common people."[2] His marriage to Cornelia Tappen strengthened his political position in heavily Dutch Ulster County.[6]
In 1873, the state of New York donated a
He was depicted in the painting
In 2000, the
Notes
- Old Style: born July 15, 1739.
References
Citations
- ^ Murphy, Victor (2015). A History of Corboy Presbyterian Church and School. Longford. pp. 13–28.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "U.S. Senate: George Clinton, 4th Vice President (1805–1812)". www.senate.gov.
- ^ a b Lee (2010), pp. 1–2
- ISBN 9780795010972, retrieved February 9, 2008
- ^ "A Revolutionary Day Along Historic US Route 9W". Revolutionaryday.com. May 30, 1908. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Kaminski, John P., "Clinton, George", The Encyclopedia of New York State, (Peter Eisenstadt, ed.), Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2005
- ^ Kaminski, John P. (1993). George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. p. 17.
- ^ "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress – Retro Member details". bioguideretro.congress.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Kaminski, John P. (1993). George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. p. 18.
- ^ Kaminski (1993), p. 24
- ^ "George Clinton". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ Kaminski (1993), pp. 170–180
- ^ CQ Guide to U.S. Elections
- ^ George Clinton to Micah Townsend and Israel Smith, June 3, 1778, reprinted in Hugh Hastings, comp., Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, eight voumes. (Albany, New York: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Company, James B. Lyon and Olver A. Quayle, State Printers, 1899–1904), 3: 396–398.
- ^ Instructions to the Delegates of New York in the Congress of the United States, March 2, 1784, reprinted at Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont. Eight volumes. Montpelier, Vermont, Steam Press of J. & J. M. Poland, 1873–1880
- JSTOR 985965.
- ^ "Clinton genealogy site". Rootsweb.com. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ "Copper coin: George Clinton Copper – 1787". 2020site.org. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ "The George Clinton Bridge" Archived September 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine; accessed September 13, 2010
Works cited
- Kaminski, John P. (1993). George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-945612-17-9.
- Lee, John K. (2010). George Clinton: Master Builder of the Empire State. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-8153-3.
Further reading
- Caldwell, Lynton K. (1951). "George Clinton—Democratic Administrator". New York History. 32 (2): 134–156. JSTOR 24470789.
- Cornog, Evan (1998). The Birth of Empire: DeWitt Clinton and the American Experience, 1769–1828. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195119497.
- Kuroda, Tadahisa (1988). "New York and the First Presidential Election: Politics and the Constitution". New York History. 69 (3): 318–351. JSTOR 23177961.
- Spaulding, E. Wilder (1938). His Excellency George Clinton: Critic of the Constitution. The Macmillan Co.
External links
- George Clinton. The Miller Center, University of Virginia
- The George Clinton Collection at the New York Historical Society
- United States Congress. "George Clinton (id: C000527)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Architect of the Capitol: George Clinton
- An examination of the Clinton Lineage
- Barbagallo, Tricia (March 10, 2007). "Fellow Citizens Read a Horrid Tale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
