Robert R. Livingston (1718 – December 9, 1775), was a prominent
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
, and the leading
WhigPatriots was the name the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution called themselves. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in his day. He was the son of
Robert Livingston (1688-1775)Robert Livingston of New York, known as Robert of Clermont, son of Robert Livingston the Elder and father of Robert Livingston . He married Margaret Howarden in 1717...
of
ClermontThe 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...
and married Margaret Beekman, heir to immense tracts of land in Dutchess and Ulster counties. Margaret was the niece of the wife of Gilbert Livingston, Robert's uncle.
He was a member of the provincial assembly from 1759 to 1768. He served as judge of the admiralty court from 1760 to 1763 and as justice of the colonial supreme court in 1763. He was a delegate to the
Stamp Act CongressThe Stamp Act Congress was a meeting in the building that would become Federal Hall in New York City on October 19, 1765 consisting of delegates from 9 of the 13 colonies that discussed and acted upon the recently passed Stamp Act....
of 1765, and, in 1775, a member of the
Committee of One HundredThe Committee of Sixty was an extra-legal group formed in New York City, in 1775, by rebels to enforce the Continental Association, a boycott of British goods enacted by the First Continental Congress...
, which briefly governed
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
He died at his estate in
Clermont, New YorkClermont is a town in Columbia County, 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....
.
Family
His son was
Edward LivingstonEdward Livingston was a prominent American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. He represented both New York, and later Louisiana in Congress and he served as the U.S...
. Two of his son-in-laws were
Richard MontgomeryRichard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the 1775 invasion of Canada.Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland...
and
John Armstrong, Jr.John Armstrong, Jr. was an American soldier and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and Secretary of War.-Early life and Revolutionary War:...
. His grandson-in-law was
George Croghan (soldier)George Croghan was born at the Locust Grove farm in what is now Louisville, Kentucky and died in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal....
a nephew of William Clark and
George Rogers ClarkGeorge Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War...
.
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