Henry W. Livingston Explained
Henry Walter Livingston (June 12, 1768 – December 22, 1810) was a United States Representative from the state of New York.
Early life
Livingston was born in Livingston, New York, to Continental Congressman Walter Livingston and Cornelia Schuyler.[1] He was baptized on June 12, 1768 and had probably been born on the same day.[2] His sister, Gertrude Livingston, who married William Cutting, was the mother of Francis Brockholst Cutting, also a U.S. Representative from New York's 8th congressional district. His youngest sister, Harriet Livingston, was married to Robert Fulton.[3] His paternal grandfather was Robert Livingston, the 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor.[4] His mother was the granddaughter of Pieter Schuyler, the 1st Mayor of Albany.
He graduated from Yale College in 1786,[5] studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in New York City.[6]
Career
From October 2, 1787 to September 11, 1789, Livingston was a clerk in the office of Alexander Hamilton, who issued a "certificate of clerkship" for him on April 29, 1790, stating that "he is of good moral Character."[7]
From 1792 to 1794 he was private secretary to Gouverneur Morris, who was then Minister to France.[8]
Livingston was then Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Columbia County. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1802 and again in 1810. He was elected as a Federalist to the 8th and 9th Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1803 to March 3, 1807.[6]
Personal life
In 1796, he married Mary Masters Allen (1776–1855), the daughter of James Allen (1742–1778), and granddaughter of William Allen (1704–1780), the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, and great-granddaughter of Andrew Hamilton (c.1676–1741), a Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, members of a prominent Pennsylvania family.[9] They were the parents of:[10]
- Henry Walter Livingston (1798–1848), who married Caroline de Grasse de Pau (1806–1871), daughter of Francis De Pau, a French shipping magnate and slaver, and Silvie de Grasse, daughter of a French count, in 1823[11]
- Walter Livingston (1799–1872), who married Mary Livingston Greenleaf (1802–1886), daughter of James Greenleaf, in 1828[12]
- James Allen Livingston (1801–1825), who died unmarried in Rouen, France
- Mary Livingston (1803–1880), who married James Thomson, Jr. (d. 1847), in 1825
- Elizabeth Livingston (1807–1860), who married William Denning Henderson (1803–1852), in 1828
- Cornelia Livingston (1808–1884), who married Carroll Livingston (1805–1867), son of Henry Brockholst Livingston, in 1828
- Anne Greenleaf Livingston (1809–1887), who married Anson Livingston (1807–1873), another son of Henry Brockholst Livingston, in 1829
He died at his home in Livingston, New York on December 22, 1810.[13] This home in Livingston, known as "The Hill," was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Henry W. Livingston and his wife were entombed in a vault at the Henry W. Livingston House. In 1904 the vault was broken into, apparently by grave robbers. The remains were scattered, and efforts to recover them and identify the thieves were unsuccessful.[14] [15] [16]
Notes and References
- Book: Brooke. John L.. Columbia Rising: Civil Life on the Upper Hudson from the Revolution to the Age of Jackson. August 1, 2013. UNC Press Books. 9780807838877. 1 May 2017. en.
- Robert L. Protzmann, Descendants of the Livingston Family of New York, July 26, 1999
- Book: Bergen. Tunis Garret. Genealogies of the State of New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. 1915. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 30 April 2017. en.
- Book: Livingston. Edwin Brockholst. The Livingstons of Livingston manor; being the history of that branch of the Scottish house of Callendar which settled in the English province of New York during the reign of Charles the Second; and also including an account of Robert Livingston of Albany, "The nephew," a settler in the same province and his principal descendants. 1901. The Knickerbocker Press. New York. 1 May 2017.
- Book: Stiles. Ezra. Harkness. Mary Stillman. Letters & papers of Ezra Stiles: president of Yale College, 1778-1795, presented to Yale University Library by Mrs. Edward S. Harkness. 1933. Yale University Library. 1 May 2017. en.
- Web site: LIVINGSTON, Henry Walter - Biographical Information. bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 1 May 2017.
- Book: Hamilton. Alexander. Syrett. Harold Coffin. The Papers of Alexander Hamilton. 1979. Columbia University Press. 9780231089258. 1 May 2017. en.
- Web site: To George Washington from Gouverneur Morris, 16 July 1795. founders.archives.gov. Founders Online. 1 May 2017. en. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 18, 1 April–30 September 1795, ed. William M. Ferraro, David R. Hoth and Jennifer E. Stertzer. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2015, pp. 349–350.].
- Pennsylvania Marriage Records, 1700-1821, entry for Henry W. Livingston and Mary Allen, retrieved August 14, 2014
- Book: Browning. Charles Henry. Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. 1891. Porter & Costes. 1 May 2017. en.
- Web site: Berry. Regina. Livingston Family Papers, 1710-1964; bulk 1797-1902. nysl.nysed.gov. New York State Library. 1 May 2017.
- https://books.google.com/books?id=4XsrAQAAMAAJ Roberts, et al., p. 407.
- New York Newspaper Death Notice Extracts, 1801-1890 (Barber Collection), entry for Henry W. Livingston, January 2, 1811, retrieved August 14, 2014
- Pittston (Pennsylvania) Gazette, Loot Livingston Vault, April 26, 1904
- Fort Wayne (Indiana) Evening Sentinel, Livingston Tomb Robbed of its Dead, April 26, 1904
- Captain Eiirur Yale Smith, Chatham (N.Y.) Courier, Famous Old Houses of Columbia County: "The Hill"-Overlooking Bell's Pond, July 23, 1937
