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Robert Livingston (1746-1813)

 
Robert Livingston (1746 1813)

 
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Robert Livingston (1746-1813)
 
 
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Robert R(obert) Livingston (November 27, 1746 - February 26, 1813), was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
.

rt R. Livingston was the eldest son of Judge Robert Livingston (1718-1775)
Robert Livingston (1718-1775)

Robert R. Livingston , was a prominent politician, and the leading Patriot in New York in his day. He was the son of Robert Livingston of Clermont Manor and married Margaret Beekman, heir to immense tracts of land in Dutchess County and Ulster County counties....
 and Margaret Beekman Livingston. He had nine brothers and sisters, all of whom wed and made their homes on the Hudson River near the family seat of Clermont Manor
Clermont Manor

The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York State Historic Site in southwestern Columbia County, New York, USA....
. Livingston attended King's College, the predecessor to today's Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
.

He married Mary Stevens Livingston, daughter of Continental Congress
Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
man John Stevens
John Stevens (New Jersey)

John Stevens was a prominent politician from New Jersey who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1783.The son of John Stevens and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey or on October 21, 1716 in New York City when his mother was visiting there....
, on September 9, 1770.






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Robert R(obert) Livingston (November 27, 1746 - February 26, 1813), was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
.

Early life

Robert R. Livingston was the eldest son of Judge Robert Livingston (1718-1775)
Robert Livingston (1718-1775)

Robert R. Livingston , was a prominent politician, and the leading Patriot in New York in his day. He was the son of Robert Livingston of Clermont Manor and married Margaret Beekman, heir to immense tracts of land in Dutchess County and Ulster County counties....
 and Margaret Beekman Livingston. He had nine brothers and sisters, all of whom wed and made their homes on the Hudson River near the family seat of Clermont Manor
Clermont Manor

The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York State Historic Site in southwestern Columbia County, New York, USA....
. Livingston attended King's College, the predecessor to today's Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
.

He married Mary Stevens Livingston, daughter of Continental Congress
Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
man John Stevens
John Stevens (New Jersey)

John Stevens was a prominent politician from New Jersey who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1783.The son of John Stevens and his wife Ann Campbell, he was born either in 1715 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey or on October 21, 1716 in New York City when his mother was visiting there....
, on September 9, 1770. He built a home for himself and wife just south of Clermont, called Belvedere, which was burned to the ground along with Clermont in 1777 by the British Army. In 1794 he built a new home, called New Clermont but subsequently named Arryl House (phonetic spelling of his initials "RRL") which was deemed "the most commodious home in America" and contained a library of 4,000 volumes. After his trip to France, he added an orangerie to the grounds.

Political career

He was a member of the Committee of Five
Committee of Five

The Committee of Five was the Committee delegated by the Second Continental Congress on June 11, 1776, to draft the United States United States Declaration of Independence....
 that drafted the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
, although he was recalled by his state before he could sign the final version of the document.

From 1777 to 1801, he was the first Chancellor of New York
New York Court of Chancery

The Court of Chancery was established during the colonial administration on August 28, 1701, the List of colonial governors of New York acting as Chancellor....
, then the highest judicial officer in the State. He became universally known as "The Chancellor", retaining the title as a nickname even after he left the office.

He also was U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1781 to 1783, under the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was the constitution of the revolutionary wartime alliance of the thirteen United States. The Articles' ratification was completed in 1781, and legally federated several sovereign and independent states, allied under the Articles of Association into a new federation styled the "United States...
. In 1789, as Chancellor of New York, he administered the oath of office to George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
 at Federal Hall
Federal Hall

Federal Hall, located at 26 Wall Street in New York City, was the first capitol of the United States of America and the site of George Washington's first inauguration in 1789....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, then the capital of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

In 1789, Livingston joined the Jeffersonian Republicans (later known as the Democratic-Republicans), in opposition to his former colleagues John Jay
John Jay

John Jay was an United States politician, statesman, Patriot , diplomat, a Founding Fathers of the United States, President of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and, from 1789 to 1795, the first Chief Justice of the United States....
 and Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Fathers of the United States, economist, and political philosopher. He led calls for the Philadelphia Convention, was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and cowrote the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation....
 who founded the Federalist Party. He formed an uneasy alliance with his previous rival George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)

George Clinton was an United States soldier and politician. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison....
, along with Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, Jr. was an United States politician, American Revolutionary War hero, and adventurer. He served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , under Thomas Jefferson....
, then a political newcomer. He opposed the Jay Treaty
Jay Treaty

The Jay Treaty, also known as Jay's Treaty and the Treaty of London of 1794, between the United States and Kingdom of Great Britain averted war, solved many issues left over from the American Revolution, and opened ten years of largely peaceful trade in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars....
 and other Federalist initiatives.

In 1798, Livingston ran for Governor of New York on the Democratic-Republican ticket, but was defeated by Governor John Jay
John Jay

John Jay was an United States politician, statesman, Patriot , diplomat, a Founding Fathers of the United States, President of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and, from 1789 to 1795, the first Chief Justice of the United States....
 who was re-elected.

As U.S. Minister to France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 from 1801 to 1804, he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million French franc plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs , a total cost of $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory....
. After the signing of the Louisiana Purchase agreement in 1803, Livingston made this famous statement:

"We have lived long but this is the noblest work of our whole lives...The United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 take rank this day among the first powers of the world".

During his time as Minister to France, Livingston met Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton

Robert Fulton was an United States engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat. He also designed a new type of steam warship....
, with whom he developed the first viable steamboat, the Clermont, whose home port was at the Livingston family home of Clermont Manor
Clermont Manor

The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York State Historic Site in southwestern Columbia County, New York, USA....
 in the town of Clermont, New York
Clermont, New York

Clermont is a town in Columbia County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 1,726 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is French for "Clear Mountain," referring to the mountain views in the town....
. On her first voyage, she left New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, stopped briefly at Clermont Manor, and continued on to Albany
Albany, New York

Albany is the Capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County, New York. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York City, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk River and Hudson Rivers....
 up the Hudson River
Hudson River

The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk , the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York....
, completing in just under 60 hours a journey which had previously taken nearly a week by sloop
Sloop

A sloop is a sailboat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter . A sloop's fore-triangle is smaller than a cutter's, and a sloop usually bends only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive....
. In 1811, both Fulton and Livingston became members of the Erie Canal Commission
Erie Canal Commission

The New York State Legislature appointed in 1810 a Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie, and Report which became known as the Erie Canal Commission....
.

Declaration Independence
He was a Freemason, and in 1784, he was appointed the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York. He retained this title until 1801. The Grand Lodge's library in Manhattan bears his name. The Bible
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 Livingston used to administer the oath of office to President Washington is owned by St. John’s Lodge No. 1. It is still used today when the Grand Master is sworn in, and, by request, when a President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 is sworn in.

At his death, Livingston was buried in Tivoli, New York
Tivoli, New York

Tivoli is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,163 at the 2000 census. The village, which was incorporated in 1872 from parts of Upper Red Hook Landing and Madalin, is located in the northwest part of the Red Hook, New York....
.

Livingston County, Kentucky
Livingston County, Kentucky

Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 9,804. Its county seat is Smithland, Kentucky....
, Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Livingston Parish, Louisiana

Livingston Parish is a Parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston, Louisiana. As of 2000, its population was 91,814....
 and Livingston County, New York
Livingston County, New York

Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 64,328. It is named after Robert Livingston , delegate to the 1775 Continental Congress, member of the committee that drafted the United States Declaration of Independence, and father-in-law of Richard Montgomery, afte...
 are named for him.

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