John Henry Livingston (July 8, 1848 – January 27, 1927) was an American lawyer, proprietor of Clermont Manor, and prominent member of the

Livingston family The Livingston family of New York is a prominent family that migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic, and then to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from the 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the Unite ...

of New York.

Early life

Livingston was born on July 8, 1848, at Oakhill in Columbia County, New York. He was the only son of Clermont Livingston (1817–1895) and Cornelia Livingston (1824–1851), who were third cousins.

Philip Livingston (1686-1749) Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American merchant, politician and slave trader from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposing economic sanction ...

and his wife Catherine Van Brugh (about 1689-1756) were the great-great-grandparents of Clermont & Cornelia) Among his siblings was Mary Livingston, who married Col. Frederic de Peyster, a son of Maj. Gen.

John Watts de Peyster John Watts de Peyster, Sr. (March 9, 1821 – May 4, 1907) was an American author on the art of war, philanthropist, and the Adjutant General of New York.Allaben, p. 205 He served in the New York State Militia during the Mexican–American War an ...

. After his mother's death a short time after his birth, his father remarried to neighbor Mary Colden (

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 ...

Swartout) Livingston. His paternal grandparents were

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...

Edward Philip Livingston Edward Philip Livingston (November 24, 1779 in Kingston, Jamaica – November 3, 1843 in Clermont, New York) was an American politician. Early life He was the son of Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787, son of Philip Livingston) and Sara (J ...

and Elizabeth Stevens Livingston, who was the eldest daughter of

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Robert R. Livingston. Livingston's father inherited Clermont Manor after the elder Livingston's death in 1843. His grandfather's second wife, the former Mary Crooke Broom, remarried to Judge

Charles Herman Ruggles Charles Herman Ruggles (February 10, 1789 – June 16, 1865) was an American lawyer and politician who was a U.S. Representative from New York and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Early life Ruggles was born on February 10, 1789, in ...

. Among his many cousins was Thomas Streatfeild Clarkson, namesake of

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...

, Mary Livingston Ludlow, the mother of Anna (née Hall) Roosevelt and grandmother of First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

. He was also a first cousin of Catharine Goodhue Livingston, Robert Robert Livingston, Edward De Peyster Livingston, and prominent architect

Goodhue Livingston Goodhue Livingston (February 23, 1867 – June 3, 1951) was an American architect who co-founded the firm of Trowbridge & Livingston. He designed the St. Regis Hotel, the Hayden Planetarium, and numerous buildings listed on the National Register ...

. Livingston was educated at home by a Danish tutor, and then graduated from Columbia College in 1869, followed by Columbia Law School in 1871.

Career and society life

After his father's death in 1895, Clermont Manor was left to his twenty-two year old daughter Katherine, reportedly due to his father's dislike of John Henry's second wife Emily, who died in 1894. Livingston eventually bought Clermont from his daughter, reportedly for $1. Livingston served as President of the Colonial Lords of Manors in America and was an officer of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. He was also a member of the

Sons of the Revolution Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Willia ...

, the

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

, the St. Nicholas Society, the University Club and

The Apawamis Club The Apawamis Club is a private country club located in Rye, New York, Westchester County, long known for its 18-hole golf course and prominence in the sport of squash. The 1911 U.S. Amateur Championship was contested here, resulting in a playoff ...

in Rye, New York. He spent many years abroad, including a residence at the Villa Guicciardini in Florence.

Personal life

On November 2, 1871, Livingston married Catherine Livingston Hamersley (1850–1873). Catherine was the sister of J. Hooker Hamersley, the daughter of John W. and Catherine Livingston (

Hooker) Hamersley, and granddaughter of Hon. James Hooker. Together, they were the parents of one daughter: * Katharine Livingston Livingston (1873–1933), who married Lawrence Timpson (1865–1937) in 1900. After Catherine's death from complications from childbirth on April 19, 1873, he married Emily Evans on October 30, 1880. Emily was the daughter of William E. Evans and niece of Mrs. Gouverneur Ogden, in Philadelphia. Livingston's best man at the wedding was Cadwalader E. Ogden of New York. Emily died "very suddenly" on April 7, 1894, and Livingston married for the third and final time to Alice Delafield Clarkson (1872–1964), the daughter of Howard Clarkson, Esq., on November 9, 1906 at 58 West 37th Street in New York City. Together, they were the parents of two daughters: * Honoria Alice Livingston (1909–2000), who married Reginald "Rex" McVitty in 1931. * Janet Gloria Livingston (1910–1972), who worked for the Chemical Trust Bank in New York and did not marry. Livingston died of influenza related illnesses at "The Bandbox", his winter residence in Aiken, South Carolina on January 27, 1927.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter, he was the grandfather of five, including Theodore Livingston Timpson (1901–1965), Katharine Livingston Timpson (1903–1993), Robert Clermont Livingston Timpson (1908–1988), who married Louise Campbell, Duchess of Argyll in 1954, and was ousted from the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

in 1963, J. Alistar Livingston Timpson (1915–1997), and H. Rosamund Livingston Timpson (1915–2004).

Notes

References

External links

John Henry Livingston Papers, 1910-1937
at the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, John Henry 1848 births 1927 deaths John Henry People from Columbia County, New York Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Law School alumni