James Clinton ( – 24 January 1718) sired the American branch of the prominent Clinton family including

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer 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. The vice ...

George Clinton and Revolutionary War Major General James Clinton. According to Clinton family lore, James Clinton was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician. Clinton’s name does not appear to be extant in contemporary political papers, or contemporary military documents, and the details of possible military and political careers thus far remain a mystery.

Early life

Clinton was born circa 1667 in Ireland. He was the son of Elizabeth (

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 ...

Kennedy) Clinton and William Clinton (1614–1684), who is said to have been a royalist officer in the army of

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...

(A corresponding army commission for a William Clinton has yet to be located.) James’ father is alleged to have been a nephew of Thomas Clinton, 3rd Earl of Lincoln and a grandson of

Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln Henry Clinton, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, KB (1539 – 29 September 1616) was an English peer, styled Baron Clinton from 1572 to 1585. Known for repeated accusations of extortion, abduction and arson, among other things, Henry was likely among the ...

How this family relationship has been deduced is unclear. It was not mentioned by either Charles, George, or Dewitt Clinton; and no William has been identified in the corresponding generation of the family of the Earls of Lincoln who fits the dates attributed to William Clinton, father of James. After the king's death in 1649, James’ father William went into exile on the Continent for a time before going to Scotland, possibly in support of the heir to the throne, Charles II. While in Scotland he married his mother, Elizabeth Kennedy. His parents subsequently moved to the northern part of Ireland where they had one son, James.

Legacy

James Clinton is reported to have made an unsuccessful attempt to recover his patrimonial estates in England. The location of these estates in England, and the date of Clinton’s suit, is unknown, as no corroborating documents have so far been identified. While there he is said to have married Elizabeth Smith, (d. 1728) the daughter of a

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

captain under Cromwell. James returned to Ireland, where he and his wife had three children, two daughters and a son: * Christiana Clinton (1685–1776), who married John Beatty (1645–1729). * Mary Clinton *

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 DeWi ...

(1690–1773), who married Elizabeth Denniston (1703–1775) and had seven children. In May 1729, his then forty-year-old son

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

left Dublin and emigrated to New Ulster (now Ulster County in

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, United States) in a vessel called the George and Anne. Charles had paid for the passage of 94 people aboard the ship.

Descendants

Through his daughter Christiana, he was the grandfather of the Rev. Charles Clinton Beatty (1715–1772) and the great-grandfather of Dr. John Beatty (1749–1826), who served as a

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man as well as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, Secretary of State of New Jersey, and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New Jersey. Through his only son Charles, he was the grandfather of seven, including Revolutionary War Major General James Clinton (1736-1812) and

New York Governor 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 has a ...

George Clinton (1739-1812), who served as the

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, James 1667 births 1718 deaths Roundheads Clinton family of New York