George Clinton Jr. (June 6, 1771 – September 16, 1809) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1805 to 1809.

Early life

He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on June 6, 1771, the son of Mary De Witt and

James Clinton Major general (United States), Major-General James Clinton (August 9, 1736 – September 22, 1812) was a Continental Army officer and politician who fought in the American Revolutionary War. During the war he, along with John Sullivan (ge ...

, a brevet major general in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He was the brother of

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...

(1769–1828), the 6th

governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

, and half-brother of James Graham Clinton, also a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. He was the nephew of George Clinton (1739–1812), who served as the 1st and 3rd

from 1777 to 1795 and the

U.S. Vice President The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. Th ...

from 1805 to 1812. His grandfather was Col.

Charles Clinton Col. Charles Clinton (1690 – 19 November 1773) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician in colonial America. A colonel of the French and Indian War, he was the father of General James Clinton and George Clinton, and the grandfather of DeWit ...

(1690–1773), an Anglo-Irish colonel during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. He graduated from Columbia College in 1793, studied law, and became an attorney.

Career

He was involved in farming and business in New York City and New Windsor, and was an incorporator of the Newburgh and Cochecton Turnpike Company.

Politics and elected office

Clinton was an early member of the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

organization, including serving as one of its

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...

s. He was a delegate to the New York State constitutional convention in 1801. In political organizing and at conventions, George Clinton Jr. was a manager and leader of the allies of his uncle George, in opposition to adherents of

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 d ...

as the two groups fought for supremacy in the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

. He served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 1804 to 1805. He was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to fill the vacancy caused when Samuel L. Mitchill resigned to accept election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. He was subsequently elected to two full terms, and served from February 14, 1805, to March 3, 1809. While in Congress George Clinton was one of the signers of a document protesting the caucus which nominated

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

as the candidate of the Democratic-Republicans for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

1808 Events January–March * January 1 ** The importation of slaves into the United States is formally banned, as the 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves takes effect. However Americans still continue the slave trade by transpor ...

Personal life

In 1801 George Clinton married Hannah Franklin (1780–1843). His wife was the sister of DeWitt Clinton's first wife, Mary Franklin, and a descendant of

John Bowne John Bowne (1627–1695), the progenitor of the Bowne family in America, was a Quaker and an English settler residing in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. He is historically significant for his struggle for religious liberty. Background Born i ...

and

Elizabeth Fones Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (21 January 1610 – 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640 Fones, with her then-husband Robert Feake, were founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wolfe (2012) She married her t ...

. They had three children: *Mary Caroline Clinton (1802–1870), who married Henry Overing *Franklin Clinton, who died as a child *Julia Matilda Clinton (d. 1880), who first married George C. Tallmadge. She later married James Foster Jr.William Smith Pelletreau
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Family History of New York
Volume 3, 1907, page 183 George Clinton died at his home in the Bloomingdale area of New York City, aged 38, on September 16, 1809.South Carolina Historical Society
The South Carolina Historical Magazine
Volume 33, 1932, page 211

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, George Jr 1771 births 1809 deaths American politicians of Dutch descent American people of English descent Politicians from New York City People from New Windsor, New York Columbia College (New York) alumni New York (state) lawyers Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Clinton family (New York) De Witt family 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives