Morgan Lewis Livingston (April 3, 1799 – November 3, 1869), was an American heir and member of the prominent

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 Unit ...

from New York.

Early life

Livingston was born on April 3, 1799 at his grandfather's home in Staatsburg in

Dutchess County, New York 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 or ...

. He was the eldest of twelve children born to Maturin Livingston (1769–1847), a former

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

, and Margaret ( née Lewis) Livingston (1780–1860). His younger siblings included Gertrude Laura Livingston, Julia Livingston, Alfred Livingston, Mortimer Livingston, Susan Mary Livingston,

Robert James Livingston Robert James Livingston (December 11, 1811 – February 22, 1891), a member of the Livingston family, was a prominent businessman from New York. Early life Livingston was born on December 11, 1811 in New York City. He was the son of Maturi ...

, Maturin Livingston Jr., Henry Beekman Livingston, Angelica Livingston, and Blanche Geraldine Livingston. His younger sister Angelica married

Alexander Hamilton Jr. Colonel Alexander Hamilton Jr. (May 16, 1786 – August 2, 1875) was the third child and the second son of Elizabeth Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Hamilton was said to have been 5'6 tall. Ed ...

, the son of Secretary of State

James Alexander Hamilton James Alexander Hamilton (April 14, 1788 – September 24, 1878) was an American soldier, acting Secretary of State, and the third son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He entered politics as a Democrat ...

(and grandson of Alexander Hamilton, the first

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

). His mother was the only daughter and sole heiress of New York Gov. Morgan Lewis and Gertrude (née Livingston) Lewis. His maternal grandmother was the daughter of Judge Robert Livingston of Clermont and Margaret (née Beekman) Livingston, and the sister of Chancellor

Robert R. Livingston Robert Robert Livingston (November 27, 1746 (Old Style November 16) – February 26, 1813) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor", afte ...

; Janet Livingston (who married Gen. Richard Montgomery); Margaret Livingston (who married N.Y. Secretary of State

Thomas Tillotson Thomas Tillotson (May 5, 1832) was an American physician and politician. Life Born in the Province of Maryland around 1751 or 1752, Tillotson received a thorough education, studied medicine, and practiced. He was the great great nephew of the A ...

); Henry Beekman Livingston; Catharine Livingston (who married

Freeborn Garrettson Freeborn Garrettson (August 15, 1752 – September 26, 1827) was an American clergyman, and one of the first American-born Methodist preachers. He entered the Methodist ministry in 1775 and travelled extensively to evangelize in several states. ...

); merchant John R. Livingston; Joanna Livingston (who married Lt. Gov.

Peter R. Livingston Peter Robert Livingston (October 3, 1766 – January 19, 1847 Rhinebeck, New York) was an American politician who served as Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York from February to October 1828. Early life Peter Robert Livingston was born on Oc ...

); and Alida Livingston (who married

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

, and Minister to France,

John Armstrong, Jr. John Armstrong Jr. (November 25, 1758April 1, 1843) was an American soldier, diplomat and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and United States Secretary of War under President James Madison. A me ...

). His father inherited his maternal grandfather's estate, the Staatsburgh House in Staatsburg, upon the death of Lewis in 1844. His paternal grandparents were Robert James Livingston and Susanna (née Smith) Livingston, herself the daughter of Chief Justice William Smith. His uncle was

and all of his Livingston family members were descended from

Robert Livingston the Younger Robert Livingston the Younger (1663 – April 1725), sometimes known as Robert Livingston Jr., or The Nephew was a wealthy merchant and political figure in colonial Albany, New York. Early life Livingston was born in 1663 in Edinburgh, Scotland ...

, through the Younger's eldest son, James Livingston.

Career

On October 13, 1814, Livingston matriculated at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

with the class of 1819, along with Edward Butler, nephew of General Richard Butler and Col. Thomas Butler. Butler courted Livingston's sister Julia, but eventually married Frances Parke Lewis, daughter of

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis (March 31, 1779 – July 15, 1852), known as Nelly, was a granddaughter of Martha Washington and a step-granddaughter and adopted daughter of George Washington. Childhood Nelly was a daughter of John Parke Custis and E ...

and Lawrence Lewis, and grand-niece of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

(and great-granddaughter of

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

). Julia later married Maj. Joseph Delafield, brother of Maj. Gen.

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

and Dr.

Edward Delafield Edward Delafield (May 7, 1794 – February 13, 1875) was an American physician, primarily known as an ophthalmologist, but also for his work in obstetrics and gynaecology. He was the co-founder (with John Kearney Rodgers) of the New York Eye In ...

. Upon his father's death in 1847, his younger brother, Maturin Livingston Jr. inherited the family home in Staatsburgh, not Morgan, the eldest son.

Personal life

On March 30, 1829, Livingston was married to Catharine Currie Manning (1809–1886) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. She was the daughter of James Manning and Elizabeth (née Storm) Manning, and the younger sister of John Augustus Manning and William Henry Manning. Her paternal uncle was James Manning, the first

President of Brown University The following is a list of presidents of Brown University From 1765 to the 1920s, the president was required by the University Charter to be of the Baptist denomination: References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Presidents Of Brown University * B ...

, and her maternal grandfather was

Thomas Storm Thomas Storm (September 8, 1748 – August 4, 1833) was an American Revolutionary war officer and state legislator, rising to Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1802. Early life Thomas was born in Hopewell, Dutchess County, New York ...

, the

Speaker of the New York State Assembly The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the Speaker (politics), speaker presides o ...

. Together, they were the parents of nine children, only two of whom married and had children, including: * Gertrude Livingston (1829–1878), who died unmarried. * Morgan Lewis Livingston Jr. (1831–1898), who died unmarried. * Silvia Julia Livingston (1833–1895), who died unmarried. * Rosalie Manning Livingston (1835–1874), who married Francis William Waldo (1836–1878), son of Horace Waldo and Sarah (née Hazard) Waldo, in 1858. After her death, he remarried to

Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo (May 12, 1842 – May 27, 1914) was an American heiress known for commissioning the Rhinelander Mansion located in Manhattan at 867 Madison Avenue on the south-east corner of 72nd Street, designed in the 1890s by ...

. * Mortimer Livingston (1837–1892), who married Maria McCartie in 1863. * Annesley Livingston (1839–1870), who died unmarried. * Julia Livingston (1841–1920), who died unmarried. * James Manning Livingston (1843–1863), who was killed-in-action at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. * Maturin Livingston (1849–1879), who died unmarried. Livingston died on November 3, 1869 in New York City. He was buried in the St. James Episcopal Churchyard in Hyde Park in

Descendants

Through his daughter Rosalie, he was the grandfather of Rosalie Livingston Waldo (1859–1907) and Katherine Livingston Waldo (1863–1899), who were both the elder half-sisters of

Rhinelander Waldo Rhinelander Waldo (May 24, 1877 – August 13, 1927) was appointed the seventh New York City Fire Commissioner by Mayor William Jay Gaynor on January 13, 1910. He resigned on May 23, 1911, less than two months after the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist ...

, the

New York City Police The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

and

Fire Commissioner A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Nomenclature Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...

, from their father's second marriage to

. Rosalie, who was born in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

and died in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, did not marry. Katherine married Preble Tucker (1860–1944), but died without issue at the age of thirty-five. Through his son Mortimer, he was the grandfather of Frances Livingston (b. 1864); Morgan Lewis Livingston (1866–1919), who married Ida Mary (née Lockwood) Walters, daughter of English immigrant Joseph Charles Lockwood, in 1903; Katherine Manning Livingston (b. 1868), who married George Winthrop Fallon in 1893; Robert James Livingston (b. 1870), who married Charlotte Ames, daughter of Daniel Burnett Ames in 1898; Julia Livingston (1872–1872), who died young; Alice Livingston (1874–1876); Edward Mortimer Livingston (b. 1876), who married Catherine Cecilia Chamberlain, daughter of Willis Henry Chamberlain; and Harold Maturin Livingston (b. 1880).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Morgan Lewis 1799 births 1869 deaths Morgan Lewis Businesspeople from New York City United States Military Academy alumni