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George Clinton
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| In office March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812 |
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| President | Thomas Jefferson James Madison |
| Preceded by | Aaron Burr |
| Succeeded by | Elbridge Gerry |
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| In office April 1, 1801 – April 1, 1804 |
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| Lieutenant | Jeremiah Van Rensselaer |
| Preceded by | John Jay |
| Succeeded by | Morgan Lewis |
| In office July 30, 1777 – April 1, 1795 |
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| Lieutenant | Pierre Van Cortlandt |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | John Jay |
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| Born | July 26, 1739 Little Britain, New York |
| Died | April 20, 1812 (aged 72) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Sarah Cornelia Tappen |
| Children | Catharine Clinton Cornelia Tappen Clinton George Washington Clinton Elizabeth Clinton Martha Washington Clinton Maria Clinton |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | British Army American Militia |
| Rank | Lieutenant Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | French and Indian War American Revolutionary War |
George Clinton (July 26, 1739 – April 20, 1812) was an American soldier and politician. He was the first (and longest-serving) elected Governor of New York, and then Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
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Early life and participation in the Revolution
His political interests were inspired by his father, Charles Clinton, who was an Irish immigrant to Little Britain, New York and a member of the New York colonial assembly. George Clinton was the brother of General James Clinton and the uncle of New York's future governor, DeWitt Clinton.
At 18, he enlisted in the British Army to fight in the French and Indian War, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant. He subsequently studied law, became clerk of the court of common pleas and served in the colonial assembly. He was elected to the Continental Congress and voted for the Declaration of Independence, but was called to serve George Washington as a brigadier general of militia and had to leave before the signing.
He was known for his hatred of Tories1 and used seizure and sale of Tory estates to help keep taxes down. A supporter and friend of George Washington, he supplied food to the troops at Valley Forge, rode with Washington to the first Inauguration and gave an impressive dinner to celebrate it.
Political career
In 1759 he was appointed County Clerk for Ulster County, New York, a position he held for the next fifty-two years2. He was a member of the New York Provincial Assembly for Ulster County from 1768 to 1776. He became the first elected Governor of New York in 1777, and was re-elected six times, serving until 1795.
In 1783, at Dobbs Ferry, Clinton and Washington negotiated with General Sir Guy Carleton for the evacuation of the British troops from their remaining posts in the United States.
In 1787-1788, Clinton publicly opposed adoption of the new United States Constitution. Herbert Storing identifies Clinton as "Cato", the pseudonymous author of the Anti-Federalist essays which appeared in New York newspapers during the ratification debates. However, the authorship of the essays is disputed. Clinton withdrew his objections after the Bill of Rights was added.
In 1792, he was chosen by the nascent Jeffersonian "Republican" party as their candidate for Vice President. While the Republicans joined in the general acclamation of Washington for a second term as President, they objected to the allegedly "monarchical" attitude of Vice President John Adams. Clinton was nominated rather than Thomas Jefferson because the Virginia electors could not vote for Washington and also for a second Virginian. Clinton received 50 electoral votes to 77 for Adams. His candidacy was damaged by his anti-Federalist record, and by his narrow and disputed re-election as governor in 1792. (He won by only 108 votes, and the substantial anti-Clinton vote of Otsego County was excluded on a technicality.)
He did not run for re-election as governor in 1795. He held no political office unil he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1800 and 1801. In 1801 he was once again elected governor, serving until 1804. With 21 years of service, he was the longest-serving governor of a U.S. state.3
He was picked to be Jefferson's running mate in the 1804 Presidential election, replacing Aaron Burr. He served as the fourth Vice President of the United States, first under Jefferson, from 1805 to 1809, and then under James Madison from 1809 until his death of a heart attack in 1812. He was the first Vice President to die in office.
Clinton was one of only two Vice Presidents to serve in the position under two different Presidents. (John C. Calhoun was the other.) He is of no known relation to the 42nd President, Bill Clinton, who was born William Jefferson Blythe III.
Clinton was an unwilling candidate for President in the 1808 election, receiving six electoral votes from a wing of the Democratic-Republican Party that disapproved of James Madison. He came in third after Madison and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of the Federalist Party.
His original burial was in Washington. He was reinterred in Kingston, New York in 1908.
Marriage and children
On February 7, 1770, Clinton married Sarah Cornelia Tappen. They had five daughters and one son:
- Catharine Clinton (November 5, 1770 - January 10, 1811). Married first John Taylor and secondly Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr.-son of New York Lt. Governor Pierre Van Cortlandt.
- Cornelia Tappen Clinton (June 29, 1774 - March 28, 1810). Married Edmond-Charles Genet.
- George Washington Clinton (October 18, 1778 - March 27, 1813). Married Anna Floyd, daughter of William Floyd. (A brother-in-law was Congressman Benjamin Tallmadge)
- Elizabeth Clinton (July 10, 1780 - April 8, 1825). Married Matthias B. Tallmadge.
- Martha Washington Clinton (October 12, 1783 - February 20, 1795).
- Maria Clinton (October 6, 1785 - April 17, 1829). Married Dr. Stephen D. Beekman—a grandson of Pierre Van Cortlandt and Joanna Livingston.
Legacy
Clinton County, New York, Clinton County, Missouri[1], Clinton County, Ohio, Clinton County, Illinois and the village of Clinton, N.Y., site of Hamilton College, are named after him. Washington, D.C. has erected a gilded equestrian sculpture of him on Connecticut Avenue. In 1873, the state of New York donated a bronze statue of Clinton to the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection.
Clinton Street in Chicago's downtown area of The Loop and nearby South Loop is named in his honor.
The bridge between Rhinecliff and Kingston New York was named the George Clinton bridge.
See also
- Pierre Van Cortlandt, Clinton's Lieutenant Governor and brother-in-law
Bibliography
- Kaminski, John P. George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. Madison House, 1993.
- ^ AOC.gov
- ^ A Revolutionary Day
- ^ CQ Guide to U.S. Elections
External links
- George Clinton at the 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". Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- Find-A-Grave profile for George Clinton
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Governor of the Province of New York |
Governor of New York 1777 – 1795 |
Succeeded by John Jay |
| Preceded by John Jay |
Governor of New York 1801 – 1804 |
Succeeded by Morgan Lewis |
| Preceded by Aaron Burr(1) |
Vice President of the United States March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Elbridge Gerry |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Benjamin Moore |
Chancellor of Columbia College 1784 – 1787 |
Succeeded by William Samuel Johnson |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by (none) |
Democratic-Republican vice presidential candidate 1792 (lost)(1) |
Succeeded by Aaron Burr(1) |
| Preceded by Aaron Burr(1) |
Democratic-Republican vice presidential candidate 1804 (won), 1808 (won) |
Succeeded by Elbridge Gerry |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. Clinton was technically a presidential candidate in 1792 and Burr was technically a presidential candidate in 1796 and 1800. Prior to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, each presidential elector would cast two ballots; the highest vote-getter would become President and the runner-up would become Vice President. Thus, in 1792, with George Washington as the prohibitive favorite for President, the Republican Party fielded Clinton with the intention that he be elected Vice President. Similarly, in both 1796 and 1800, the Republican Party fielded two candidates, Burr and Thomas Jefferson, with the intention that Jefferson be elected President and Burr be elected Vice President. | ||
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| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Clinton, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 26, 1739 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Little Britain, New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 20, 1812 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Washington, District of Columbia, United States |
