Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from

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

. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as

Philip J. Schuyler Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (January 21, 1768 – February 21, 1835) was an American politician from New York. His siblings included Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. Life He was the son of R ...

. Born in Albany, Province of New York, into the prosperous

Schuyler family The Schuyler family ( /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especiall ...

, Schuyler fought in the French and Indian War. He won election to the New York General Assembly in 1768 and to the

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. ...

in 1775. He planned the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

's 1775 Invasion of Quebec, but poor health forced him to delegate command of the invasion to

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for l ...

. He prepared the Continental Army's defense of the 1777

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

, but was replaced by Major General Horatio Gates as the commander of Continental forces in the theater. Schuyler resigned from the Continental Army in 1779. Schuyler served in 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 ...

for most of the 1780s and supported the ratification of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

. He represented New York in the

1st United States Congress The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in ...

but lost his state's 1791 Senate election to

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

. After a period in the state senate, he won election to the United States Senate again in 1797, affiliating with the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. De ...

. He resigned due to poor health the following year. He was the father of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and the father-in-law of Secretary of the Treasury

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

Early life

Philip John Schuyler was born on in Albany, New York, to

Cornelia Van Cortlandt Johannes Schuyler Jr. (October 1697 – November 5, 1741) was a prominent American of Dutch ancestry who served as the Mayor of Albany, New York from 1740 to 1741, and was a merchant, alderman, and Indian commissioner. Schuyler married Cornelia v ...

(1698–1762) and Johannes ("John") Schuyler Jr. (1697–1741), the third generation of the Dutch

in America. His maternal grandfather was Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the 17th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

. Before his father died on the eve of his eighth birthday, Schuyler attended the public school in Albany. Afterward, he was educated by tutors at the Van Cortlandt family estate at New Rochelle. Fluent in both Dutch and English from childhood, in 1748 he began to study with Reverend Peter Strouppe at the New Rochelle French Protestant Church, where he learned French and mathematics. While he was at New Rochelle he also joined numerous trade expeditions where he met Iroquois leaders and learned to speak Mohawk. Schuyler joined the British forces in 1755 during the French and Indian War, raised a provincial company, and was commissioned as its

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

by his cousin, Lieutenant Governor James Delancey. In 1756, he accompanied British officer Colonel John Bradstreet to Oswego, where he gained experience as a quartermaster, which ended when the outpost fell to the French. Schuyler took part in the battles of Lake George, Oswego River,

Carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

and Fort Frontenac. After the war, Bradstreet sent Schuyler to England to settle Bradstreet's reimbursement claims for expenses he incurred during the war effort, and he remained in England from 1760 to 1763. After returning to the United States he took over management of several farms and business enterprises in upstate New York, including a lumber venture in Saratoga. In addition, Schuyler was responsible for constructing the first flax mill in the American colonies. Schuyler became colonel and commander of a militia district regiment in 1767. In 1768, he served as a member of the New York Assembly.

American Revolution

Schuyler was elected to the

in 1775 and served until he was appointed a major general of the

in June. General Schuyler took command of the

Northern Department The Northern Department was a department of the government of the Kingdom of England from 1660 to 1707 and later the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 until 1782 when its functions were reorganised into the new Home Office and Foreign Office ...

and planned the Invasion of Quebec. His poor health required him to place

in command of the invasion. In 1777, he again served in the Continental Congress.

Saratoga campaign

After returning to the command of the Northern Department in 1777, Schuyler was active in preparing a defense against the

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

, part of the "Three Pronged Attack" strategy of the British to cut the American Colonies in two by invading and occupying New York State. In the summer of 1777, John Burgoyne marched his British force south from Quebec and through the valleys of Lakes Champlain and George. On the way he invested the small Colonial garrison occupying Fort Ticonderoga at the nexus of the two lakes. When General St. Clair abandoned Fort Ticonderoga in July, the Congress replaced Schuyler with General Horatio Gates, who had accused Schuyler of dereliction of duty. In 1778, Schuyler and

Arthur St. Clair Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...

faced a court of inquiry over the loss of Ticonderoga, and both were acquitted. The British offensive was eventually stopped by Continental Army then under the command of Gates and

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

in the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

. That victory, the first wholesale defeat of a large British force, marked a turning point in the revolution, for it convinced France to enter the war on the American side. When Schuyler demanded a court martial to answer Gates' charges, he was vindicated but resigned from the Army on April 19, 1779. He then served in two more sessions of the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780.

Later career

As a prominent politician and Patriot leader in New York, Schuyler was the subject of an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, which was plotted and led by John Walden Meyers on August 7, 1781. Schuyler was able to vacate his Albany mansion before the kidnappers arrived. Schuyler was an original member of the New York

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 ...

. After the war, he expanded his Saratoga estate to tens of thousands of acres, adding slaves, tenant farmers, a store, mills for flour, flax, and lumber. He built several schooners on the Hudson River, and named the first ''Saratoga''. According to the Schuyler Mansion Historic Society, there were around 40 slaves between the Albany and Saratoga estates. He was a member of the

from 1780 to 1784, and at the same time New York State Surveyor General from 1781 to 1784. Afterwards he returned to the State Senate from 1786 to 1790, where he actively supported the adoption of the

. In

1789 Events January–March * January – Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès publishes the pamphlet ''What Is the Third Estate?'' ('), influential on the French Revolution. * January 7 – The 1788-89 United States presidential election a ...

, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York to the First United States Congress, serving from July 27, 1789, to March 3, 1791. After losing his bid for re-election in 1791 to Aaron Burr, he returned to the State Senate from 1792 to 1797. In

1797 Events January–March * January 3 – The Treaty of Tripoli, a peace treaty between the United States and Ottoman Tripolitania, is signed at Algiers (''see also'' 1796). * January 7 – The parliament of the Cisalpine Re ...

, he was selected again to the U.S. Senate and served in the

5th United States Congress The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penns ...

from March 4, 1797, until his resignation because of ill health on January 3, 1798.

Personal life

According to the Schuyler Family's Bible, on September 7, 1755, he married Catherine Van Rensselaer (1734–1803) at Albany. In the Bible entry, he was called "Philip Johannes Schuyler" and she was called "Catherina Van Rensselaer". She was the daughter of

Johannes Van Rensselaer Johannes Van Rensselaer (January 3, 1708 – February 21, 1783) was a member of the prominent colonial Van Rensselaer family. Early life Van Rensselaer was born on January 3, 1708, at the family estate, "Rensselaerswyck", in what is now Waterv ...

(1707/08–1783) and his first wife, Engeltje Livingston (1698–1746/47). Johannes was the grandson of Hendrick van Rensselaer (1667–1740). Engeltje was the daughter of Robert Livingston the Younger. Philip and Catherine had 15 children together, eight of whom survived to adulthood, including: * Angelica Schuyler (1756–1814), who married John Barker Church (1748–1818), later a British MP. *

Elizabeth Schuyler Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Married to American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, ...

(1757–1854), who married

(1755/7–1804), later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Elizabeth co-founded the first private orphanage in New York City. * Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler (1758–1801), who married

Stephen Van Rensselaer III Stephen Van Rensselaer III (; November 1, 1764January 26, 1839) was an American landowner, businessman, militia officer, and politician. A graduate of Harvard College, at age 21, Van Rensselaer took control of Rensselaerswyck, his family's mano ...

(1764–1839), 8th Patroon. * Cornelia Schuyler (1761–1762), a twin to the first John Bradstreet. * John Bradstreet Schuyler (1761–1761), a twin to Cornelia.Schuyler Family Bible, Collections of Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Albany, NY. * John Bradstreet Schuyler (1763–1764). * John Bradstreet Schuyler (1765–1795), who married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (1768–1841), the sister of

who married his sister Peggy. * Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (1768–1835), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and who married Sarah Rutsen; after her death in 1805, he married Mary Anna Sawyer. * Triplets (1770–1770, Unbaptized). * Rensselaer Schuyler (1773–1847), who married Elizabeth Ten Broeck, daughter of General Abraham Ten Broeck. * Cornelia Schuyler (1776–1808), who married Washington Morton. * Cortlandt Schuyler (1778–1778). * Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1781–1857), who married first, Samuel Malcolm (son of William Malcolm), and then James Cochran (1769–1848), her cousin and the son of John Cochran and Gertrude Schuyler, Philip Schuyler's sister. Schuyler's country home had been destroyed by General John Burgoyne's forces in October 1777. Later that year, he began rebuilding on the same site, now located in southern Schuylerville, New York. This later home is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Saratoga National Historical Park, and is open to the public. Schuyler died at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany on November 18, 1804, four months after his son-in-law,

, was killed in a duel and 2 days before his 71st birthday. He is buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York. File:Schuyler Mansion Panorama Left.jpg, Schuyler Mansion, which was constructed from 1761 to 1765 File:GeneralSchylerHouse.JPG, Schuyler's Country House used during the Revolution, in Schuylerville

Legacy

Place names

Geographic locations and buildings named in Schuyler's honor include: * Schuyler, New York * Schuylerville, New York * Schuyler County, New York, as well as Schuyler County, Illinois, and Schuyler County, Missouri * Fort Schuyler, a military fortification begun in 1833 at the tip of Throggs Neck in the Bronx, which now houses the

Maritime Industry Museum Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices of the State University of ...

and the State University of New York Maritime College * The Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy (named for Schuyler and his son Philip) in Albany, New York (name change expected in 2021)

Works of art

Schuyler was depicted by

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Rev ...

in his 1821 painting '' Surrender of General Burgoyne'', which hangs in the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. ''Major General Philip Schuyler'', a bronze statue by sculptor J. Massey Rhind, was erected outside Albany City Hall in 1925. In June 2020, Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan signed an executive order for the statue to be removed and given to a "museum or other institution for future display with appropriate historical context", due to Schuyler's ownership of slaves. The statue was requested the next day by the mayor of Schuylerville, New York, who suggested that it be relocated to

Schuyler House The Schuyler House or General Schuyler House was built in November 1777 over 29 days for General Philip Schuyler (later Senator Schuyler, and Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law). It is now part of Saratoga National Historical Park (located 8 mil ...

. In the early morning of June 10, 2023, the statue was removed from its pedestal to a trailer and transported to an undisclosed storage location. After the statue was removed on June 10, 2023, a time capsule was discovered underneath in a sealed metal box.

In popular culture

The non-speaking role of Philip Schuyler was originated by ensemble member Sydney James Harcourt in the 2015 Broadway musical '' Hamilton'', in which Schuyler's son-in-law

is the title character.

References

External links

Co-Planner of the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Against the Iroquois

Collection of Letters from Philip Schuyler

Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy

at the

New York State Library The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the largest ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuyler, Philip John 1733 births 1804 deaths Politicians from Albany, New York People of the Province of New York Schuyler family American people of Dutch descent Reformed Church in America members Continental Congressmen from New York (state) Pro-Administration Party United States senators from New York (state) Federalist Party United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Federalists Members of the New York General Assembly Members of the New York Provincial Assembly Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators New York State Engineers and Surveyors Politicians from New Rochelle, New York Military personnel from Albany, New York Military personnel from New Rochelle, New York People of New York in the French and Indian War Continental Army officers from New York (state) Continental Army personnel who were court-martialed Continental Army generals Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery 18th-century American politicians United States senators who owned slaves