Henry Gilbert Livingston (August 27, 1714 – February 10, 1799) was an American doctor and politician from New York state.

Early life

Livingston was born on August 27, 1714, in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

, a part of

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

. He was the second son of fourteen children born to Cornelia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Beekman) Livingston (1693–1742) and Gilbert Livingston (1690–1746), a lawyer and politician in colonial New York. Among his siblings were the

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

merchant

Robert Gilbert Livingston Maj. Robert Gilbert Livingston (December 24, 1712 – August 27, 1789) was an American merchant and a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Livingston was born on December 24, 1712, in Kingston in the Province of New York, ...

, Alida Livingston (wife of Jacob Rutsen and Hendrick van Rensselaer), Joanna Livingston (wife of

Pierre Van Cortlandt Pierre Van Cortlandt (January 10, 1721 – May 1, 1814) was an American politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of New York. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in March 1768 and served in that body as the representative ...

), Margaret Livingston (wife of

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

). His maternal grandparents were Joanna (née Lopers) Beekman and

Hendrick Beekman Col. Hendrick "Henry" Beekman JP (March 9, 1652 – 1716), was a colonial American judge and politician. Early life Beekman was born on March 9, 1652 in Kingston. He was the eldest son of the former Catalina de Boogh and Wilhelmus Beekman. Hi ...

, a large landowner, Colonel of Militia, and member of the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...

for over 40 years. His father was a younger son of Alida (née Schuyler) Van Rensselaer Livingston and

Robert Livingston the Elder The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

, the first

Lord of Livingston Manor Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. History Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the colonial Province of New York granted ...

, who amassed one of the largest fortunes in 17th-century New York.

Career

Livingston moved to

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

where he was granted the clerkship of

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

, serving from 1742 to 1789. From 1754 to 1768, he was a member of the

representing the County of Dutchess.

Personal life

In 1742, Livingston was married to Susannah Storm Conklin (1724–1793), a daughter of Captain John Conklin and Joanna (née Storm) Conklin. They reportedly met when Livingston moved from Kingston to Poughkeepsie and while renting a house from Capt. Conklin, met and fell in love with his daughter Susannah. Together, they were the parents of: * Gilbert Livingston (1742–1806), who married Catherine Crannell (1745–1830) in 1763. *

John Henry Livingston John Henry Livingston (May 30, 1746January 25, 1825) was an American Dutch Reformed minister and member of the Livingston family, who served as the fourth President of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), from 1810 until his death in 182 ...

(1746—1825), who married his second cousin Sarah Livingston (1752–1814), daughter of

Philip Livingston Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposing economic sanctions upon Great Bri ...

, in 1775. *

Henry Livingston Jr. Henry Beekman Livingston Jr. (October 13, 1748 – February 29, 1828) has been proposed as being the uncredited author of the poem '' A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more popularly known (after its first line) as ''The Night Before Christmas''. Cr ...

(1748–1828), who married Sarah Welles, a daughter of Rev. Noah Welles, and, after her death, Jane McLean Patterson (1769–1838), a daughter of Matthew Patterson. * Cornelia Livingston (1750–1810), who married Myndert Van Kleeck (1744–1799) * Catherine Elizabeth Livingston (1751–1828), who married

Thomas Mifflin Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution. Mifflin was ...

and, after his 1800 death, Peter Close Sr. (b. 1751). * Joanna Livingston (1754–1795), who married Paul Schenck (1741–1817). * Susan Livingston (1755–1781), who married Gerardus Duyckinck (1754–1814). * Alida Livingston Woolsey (1758–1843), who married Melancthon Lloyd Woolsey (1754–1819) in 1779. * Robert Henry Livingston (1760–1804), who married Catherine "Cady" Tappan (1772–1841). * Beekman Livingston (1762–1842), who married Catherine Marsh (1772–1854). * Helena Livingston (1767–1859), who married

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

Justice

Jonas Platt Jonas Platt (June 30, 1769 – February 22, 1834) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life Platt was born on June 30, 1769, in Poughkeepsie, Province of New Yor ...

, son of

Zephaniah Platt Zephaniah Platt (May 27, 1735 – September 12, 1807) was an American politician and lawyer, and founder of the U.S. town of Plattsburgh, New York. Early life Platt was born in Huntington, Province of New York, to Zephaniah Platt (1705-1778). ...

, founder of

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

. Livingston died on February 10, 1799, in

, where he was Livingston was an Elder and Deacon of the

Reformed Dutch Church of Poughkeepsie Reformed Dutch Church of Poughkeepsie is a historic church at 70 Hooker Avenue in Poughkeepsie, New York. The original congregation was formed in 1716. The building was constructed in 1921 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in ...

. The administrators of his will were Thomas Mitchell, Theodorus Bailey and John Mott.

Descendants

Through his eldest son

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

, he was a grandfather of Sarah Livingston (1777–1833), who married

Smith Thompson Smith Thompson (January 17, 1768 – December 18, 1843) was a US Secretary of the Navy from 1819 to 1823 and a US Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1823 to his death. Early life and the law Born in Amenia, New York, Thompson graduated ...

, the 6th

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

who was appointed as an

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 18 ...

by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

. Through his second son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, he was a grandfather of Henry Alexander Livingston (1776–1849), a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

who married twice and had eighteen children. Through his daughter Alida, he was a grandfather of

Melancthon Taylor Woolsey Melancthon Taylor Woolsey (1782 – 18 May 1838) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and battles on the Great Lakes. He supervised warship construction at Navy Point in Sackets Harbor, New York, and later had a full care ...

(1782–1838), an officer in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and battles on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. Through his youngest daughter Helena, he was a grandfather of

(1796–1871), the

Attorney General of Michigan The Attorney General of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, me ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Henry Gilbert 1714 births 1799 deaths Henry Gilbert Members of the New York General Assembly