Clinton, Oneida County, New York
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Clinton (or ''Ka-dah-wis-dag'', "white field" in Seneca language) is a
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in
Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...
, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2010 census, declining to 1,683 in the 2020 census, 13% decline). It was named for George Clinton, the first
Governor of New York 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 ...
. The village of Clinton is within the town of Kirkland. Clinton was known as the "village of schools" due to the large number of private schools operating in the village during the 19th century.
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
is in proximity to the village.
In describing the attractions of Hamilton College in 1833, it was stated to be "situated in one of the most healthful, delightful, and fertile parts of our country; surrounded by a numerous, increasing, virtuous, and enterprising population." In 1903, another school catalogue, besides "the unrivalled beauty of the surrounding scenery" and "the remarkable healthfulness of the vicinity," commented on "the high moral fiber of the community and its superior educational advantages", all of which made Clinton "a most highly favored place for mental and moral culture."


History

Part of Coxe's Patent, 6th division, Clinton began in March 1787 when Revolutionary War veterans from Plymouth, Connecticut, settled in Clinton. Pioneer icbrought seven other families with him to the area. The new inhabitants found good soil, plentiful forests, and friendly in southern Kirkland along with
Oneida people The Oneida people ( ; wikt:autonym, autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native Ameri ...
, who passed through on trail ic Named after New York's first governor, George Clinton, fourth Vice President of the United States and an uncle of
Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
builder and New York governor
DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...
, the village had a gristmill on the Oriskany Creek on College Street the first year and slowly developed as a farming and mercantile center. In 1793, Presbyterian minister Rev.
Samuel Kirkland Samuel Kirkland (December 1, 1741 – February 28, 1808) was a Presbyterian minister and missionary among the Oneida and Tuscarora peoples of central New York State. He was a long-time friend of the Oneida chief Skenandoa. Kirkland graduated ...
founded Hamilton-Oneida Academy as a seminary to serve as part of his
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
work with the
Oneida tribe The Oneida people ( ; autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding n ...
. The seminary admitted both white and Oneida boys, although no Oneida boys lasted more than one year. Kirkland named it in honor of Treasury Secretary
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
, who was a member of the first Board of Trustees of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy. The Academy became Hamilton College in 1812, making it the third oldest college in New York, after Columbia and Union, after it expanded to a four-year college curriculum. Originally in the Town of Whitestown and then the Town of Paris, Clinton became part of the newly formed Town of Kirkland in 1827, and became an incorporated village in April 1843 with its own board of trustees, officials, employees, and status as a taxing jurisdiction. According to Gordon's 1836 ''Gazetteer'', Clinton had 50 dwellings, six stores, four taverns, two clothing works, a worsted factory, a grist mill, three churches (Universalist, Baptist, and Congregational), two academies, and two seminaries.
Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...
, Secretary of State under President McKinley and
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 ...
under presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, was born in a building on the Hamilton College campus, and is probably Clinton's most famous son. Although never a factory town, Clinton did have the Clinton Knitting Company on the site of the Clinton House Apartments on Kirkland Avenue in the first half of the 20th century, as well as the Clinton Canning Company to process local vegetables in the late summer and fall. The pharmaceutical company
Bristol-Myers Squibb The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, doing business as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consist ...
began as the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in 1887 on the second floor of 3-5 West Park Row and moved to
Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...
after three years. Both founders, William Bristol and John Myers, graduated from
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
.


Attractions

The village centers around the Village Green, a park where many community events take place. Annual events on and around the Village Green include a summer farmers market, the Shopper's Stroll during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the Clinton Art and Music festival in August. The Kirkland Art Center also hosts many activities throughout the year, including the KAC Road Race. The historic Clinton Cider Mill, a local favorite on Elm Street, has been producing
cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
since the early 1900s and is open seasonally from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. The Clinton Historic District is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. There is also an active Clinton Historical Society.


Education

The Clinton Central School District covers Clinton and most of the surrounding town of Kirkland.. Its campus is near the center of Clinton.
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
is adjacent to the village, in the town of Kirkland.


History of education

In the 19th century, Clinton was known as a "village of schools" and was sometimes called "Schooltown" and described as "an Academic village." The prosperity and reputation of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy had drawn public attention to Clinton as a place of education. It had numerous private schools, some day schools and some boarding, some secondary, of which there was no public school until 1891, and some primary. The largest building in town was a school (the Clinton Liberal Institute). A survey lists 37 schools, not counting Hamilton College, that operated in Clinton between 1790 (?) and 1915. A later list has 60, noting that "many...were in...the stately homes throughout the town; A subsequent list located 70. Some of these were small, one-room schools, often short-lived, and not much information survives on them. Prior to the passage of the New York State Compulsory School Law of 1894, about half of the town's school-age children attended a school. As put in 1878: There was a public elementary or grammar school on East Park Row, which in 1802 was replaced by a brick building and in 1839 by a larger wood structure. From 1793 to 1812 the Hamilton–Oneida Academy, forerunner of
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
(1812), operated in what would later become Clinton. Its three-story building, torn down in 1830 or 1832, became the original building of the college. Between the closing of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1812 and the opening of the Clinton Grammar School a "classical" (college preparatory) school operated at what is today (2023) the oldest house in Clinton, at 29 West Park Row. In 1813 the Clinton Grammar School was founded; it was chartered in 1815. Under four different names, including Rural High School and Clinton Military Academy, it survived until 1892 and was primarily in two buildings at 86–88 College St., though in 1891 it consolidated with Kirkland Hall (see below) and met there. The school was considered a "classical school", meaning it prepared students for college. Sometimes it had a "Female Department"
Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...
, Mark Hopkins, and
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
all studied there. It was torn down in 1900. From 1814 to 1856 the Royce Academy was a boarding and day school for young ladies. Its last location was the former Royce mansion, at the intersection of Kirkland and Chenango Avenues. It closed upon the death of Miss Nancy Royce, an invalid who was the main instructor. "Two or three Indian girls, of the Stockbridge tribe, were at one time members of this school." The Clinton Liberal Institute was a coeducational preparatory school founded by the Universalist Church, operating at the corner of Utica and Mulberry Streets from 1831 to 1878, and then in Fort Plain until destroyed by fire in 1900. An advertisement in 1841 reveals that it had a female department, and among the subjects taught were Greek, Hebrew, French, Astronomy, and Moral Philosophy. The Female Department was located at 12 Utica Street until 1851, then moved to 13 Chestnut Street, across from William Street. In this latter location it was also known as the White Seminary. After the Institute moved to Fort Plain, this building housed Kirkland Hall, a school for boys. In 1833, Rev. Hiram H. Kellogg, a Presbyterian minister,
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
, Hamilton College graduate, and good friend of
Gerrit Smith Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), also spelled Gerritt Smith, was an American social reformer, abolitionist, businessman, public intellectual, and philanthropist. Married to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candidate for P ...
, opened in Clinton a Young Ladies' Domestic Seminary, also called the Clinton Female Seminary and the Clinton Seminary, a counterpart to some extent to the all-male
Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute ( ) was a short-lived Presbyterianism, Presbyterian school in Whitesboro, New York, United States, that was a national leader in the emerging Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement. Existing from 1827 to 18 ...
. Like the Institute, it admitted students of all skin colors: three Negro girls. Another gives the number of Negro students as seven. The first was Mary E. Bibb, who became a teacher. Another was Louisa Matilda Jacobs, daughter of author
Harriet Jacobs Harriet Jacobs (1813 or 1815 – March 7, 1897) was an African-American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and writer whose autobiography, ''Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl'', published in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Bre ...
. A native American, Electa Quinney, also studied there, as did Elizabeth Smith Miller, daughter of
Gerrit Smith Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), also spelled Gerritt Smith, was an American social reformer, abolitionist, businessman, public intellectual, and philanthropist. Married to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candidate for P ...
(1835–1836). A manual labor school, it was located at 23 Kellogg Street, on the corner of Mulberry. The students spent "a portion of each day" on "domestic avocations...to prepare them to run a household." This was interrupted in 1841; he became President of Knox College. Over 500 young ladies were educated in the eight years preceding his departure for Knox. The school, an inspiration for the seminary at Monticello, Illinois, the Mount Holyoke Seminary, and the Female Departments of Knox, Oberlin, and
Elmira College Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York, United States. Founded as a Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that ...
, reopened less successfully from 1847 to 1850, after which it merged with the Clinton Grammar School. The original building survives. In 1841, the Free Will Baptists purchased the building previously occupied by Kellogg's Seminary, and established the Clinton Seminary. The Clinton Seminary began publication of a paper called the ''Clinton Seminary Advocate''. When the school enrollment outgrew the building's capacity it removed to the vacant
Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute ( ) was a short-lived Presbyterianism, Presbyterian school in Whitesboro, New York, United States, that was a national leader in the emerging Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement. Existing from 1827 to 18 ...
buildings and became the Whitestown Seminary. The former Kellogg's Seminary buildings were reopened as a private school by Pelatiah Rawson, previously of the
Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute ( ) was a short-lived Presbyterianism, Presbyterian school in Whitesboro, New York, United States, that was a national leader in the emerging Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement. Existing from 1827 to 18 ...
, but Rawson's health led it, within three years, to close (or rather, change ownership and name). In 1844, the Clinton Grammar School, Clinton Liberal Institute, Clinton Seminary, and Hamilton Academy, all being under the supervision of the
New York State Board of Regents The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within New York State, presiding over the University of the State of New York and the New York State Educatio ...
which made them eligible, received state appropriations of $48.84, $274.01, $387.95, and $225.18 respectively. No other village in the area had as many recipient institutions, Together with the
Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute ( ) was a short-lived Presbyterianism, Presbyterian school in Whitesboro, New York, United States, that was a national leader in the emerging Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement. Existing from 1827 to 18 ...
, which received $86.82, other Oneida institutions made it the leading county. The Clinton Liberal Institute, along with other military subjects, offered
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
. In 1846, the Clinton Grammar School, Clinton Liberal Institute, and Hamilton Academy received state appropriations of $302.20, $369.35, and $271.67 respectively. In 1847, the Clinton Grammar School, Clinton Liberal Institute, and Clinton Academy received state appropriations ($262.89, $360.05, $45.73 respectively). The Clinton Grammar School received a state appropriation of $25 in 1849, and $105.36 in 1869. In 1873 the Clinton Grammar School and the Clinton Liberal Institute each received $149.23. In 1849, an advertisement reveals that Miss Catherine Hopkins, for some years Principal of the Female Department of the Hamilton Academy, was running a Young Ladies' Seminary, where Latin, Greek, French, German, and Italian could be studied. In 1854, a Home Cottage Seminary was founded, at 23 Chestnut St., "at the west end of Chestnut Street," on the corner of Franklin Avenue, by Louisa M. Barker, previously Principal of the Female Department of the Clinton Liberal Institute. In 1861 it changed ownership and its name was changed to the Houghton Seminary (the maiden name of the associate principal and wife of the principal, Dr. John Chester Gallup, replaced in 1880 for health reasons by Prof. and Mrs. A. G. Benedict.). Its grounds occupied 20 acres. In 1874 its enrollment was 90—boys were one quarter of the enrollment—and it was described as "in all respects highly prosperous." It had both an Academic and a Collegiate (college preparatory) Program.Its students were allowed to use the geological and chemical laboratories, the "philosophical cientificapparatus," and the library of Hamilton College. Hamilton faculty gave courses of lectures in chemistry, anatomy, and physiology.
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
's sister and niece attended. Graduates of the college preparatory course were guaranteed admission, "without examination", to
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
. Starting about 1882, alumnae published the ''Houghton Record'', 4 numbers per year in 1902. Houghton closed in 1903;
Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...
was the final graduation speaker. Its books were given to the Kirkland Town Library. The building was torn down in 1912. At the time the name changed in 1861, the original founder, Miss Barker, set up a new, separate Home Seminary, known as the Cottage Seminary, on College Street. In 1878 it had an enrollment of 14 boarders; by 1890 this had risen to twenty. It occupied the same campus as the Clinton Central Middle School, and was said to have the most attractive campus of all of Clinton's schools. In 1858, a one-man Law School that was operated in Clinton by Theodore Dwight, son of Benjamin Dwight (see below), at Hamilton College was moved to New York City, "where it will be maintained in connection with Columbia College." In 1860, a "picturesque" Rural High School, occupying 18 acres at Elm St. and Norton Avenue (at the time Factory Street), operated in Clinton. It had a large gymnasium and a bowling alley, and was described by "all who saw it as one of the largest and finest buildings in the county". It operated from 1858 to 1865, when the building burned, after which it moved into the building of the Clinton Grammar School. In 1873 enrollment was about 70. It was operated by Rev. Benjamin W. Dwight, who previously operated it in Brooklyn, N.Y. Maximum enrollment was 80, of whom 53 were boarders. It was for boys only, although towards the end, Dwight also ran Dwight's School for Young Ladies, "an English, French, and German Boarding School." It closed in 1882. From 1861 to 1896 a Cottage School for girls, later renamed the Cottage Seminary, operated on the west side of current Chenango Avenue, at College Street. It was a combination boarding and day school. In 1898 it was converted into the Clinton Preparatory School, for boys, which operated until 1908. Additional schools operating at this time included Miss Mary Brown's School on College Street, and Miss Louisa Pond's Select School (1830s–1840s). Miss Katherine Lee conducted in her home a school for young children from 1905 to 1912; another source says it closed in 1906. Mrs. Elizabeth Marr's Select School, established in 1861, located finally at 8 Meadow St., continued late into the 1870s; in 1873 the enrollment was 26. Mrs. Chloe R. Garlinghouse's school on Marvin Street operated from 1876 to 1891. Miss Martha Mears's school on College Street was operated in the 1880s. Miss Anna Sykes conducted her Music School on Dwight Avenue for a number of years from 1872. Rev. Benjamin Dwight opened his home for a girls' school from 1865 to 1889. In 1882 a school for boys, named Kirkland Hall, opened in the former White Seminary, vacant since the Clinton Liberal Institute moved to Fort Plain. It operated until 1889. It had an affiliated fraternity chapter, Theta Phi. Another source says that in 1886, the Flint Brothers "reopened the Anderson school in the old Institute." In 1884 a boarding and day school for girls was established, in a new building at the north-east corner of Marvin and Chestnut Streets. It was first named the Florence Seminary, then renamed Huntington Hall. It closed in 1888, the students moving to the Houghton Seminary. In 1873, there were in Clinton "two Schools for young gentlemen, and three for young ladies,. In 1887, there were in Clinton three seminaries for young ladies, two high schools for young men, and one select and two common schools for children. In 1889, it was described as "a village of Grammar schools and ladies' seminaries." In 1891, Clinton's public school started to offer classes in grades 1 through 12. 191 pupils enrolled on opening day. In 1893, the opening of the Clinton Union School and Academy, on Marvin Street, ended the need for private secondary schools, although the Clinton Preparatory School, described as "military," occupying the facilities of the former Cottage Seminary on the site of today's (2023) Middle School, lasted from 1873 until 1913. It used the 2nd floor of the Kirkland Town Library as its gymnasium. From 1920 to 1923 the 7th Day Adventist Church operated a boarding school for grades 7–10, called the Eastern New York Academy, on Brimfield Street.Link to 1998 picture of house which housed the Eastern New York Academy


Sports

The Clinton Arena was home to the Clinton Comets of the
Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...
, which ended play at the arena in 1973. Portions of the movie '' Slap Shot'' were filmed at the famed Clinton Arena. The Clinton High School hockey program is widely regarded as one of the best in New York State, despite the small size of the school. The team won back-to-back state championships twice, in 1994–1995 and 1995–1996 and again in 2004–2005 and 2005–2006. In 2005 and 2006, Clinton's Cross Country team won back-to-back scholar athlete state championships. In 1984, Clinton's football team went to the Carrier Dome beating V.V.S. in the semi-final, 3-0 and became Section 3 Class B Co-Champion along with Bishop Grimes since the game ended in a tie, 0-0. Clinton's boys' soccer program won their first Section III title in 2006, and a second in 2011, for the first time advancing to the state semi-finals, as well as an undefeated regular season. It is also noted that they are among the top contenders for the Center-State Conference Championship every year. Clinton track and field is also well known in the area.


Geography

Clinton is located at (43.048852, -75.380250). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the village has a total area of , all land. The village is east of the Oriskany Creek. The village is the location of one of the several "knob and kettle structure"
kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...
s located along the Oriskany valley, named The Knob. In 1836 its then owner, William T. Richmond, donated it to the Clinton Liberal Institute. Richmond's intent was that, with the accompaniment of worth of equipment donated by a R. W. Haskins of Buffalo, the Institute could build an
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...
on the hill, but this plan never came to fruition.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,952 people, 922 households, and 488 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 965 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.05%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.61%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.72% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino people of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 922 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.94. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $41,958, and the median income for a family was $66,685. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $31,369 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $26,165. About 3.1% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

* Indium Corporation (1934), materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier


Notable people

* Natalie Babbitt, award-winning children's author, wife of Kirkland College President Samuel Fisher Babbitt *
Clara Barton Clarissa Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not then very ...
, founder of
American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
, studied at the Clinton Liberal Institute * Frederick Bee, builder of telegraph over
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
mountains and Consul of the Chinese Consulate in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
* Susan Bennett, voice-over artist best known for being the female American voice of Apple's "Siri" * William McLaren Bristol, co-founder of Bristol-Meyers Squibb * Jack Britton, former World Welterweight Champion in boxing known as the "Boxing Marvel" *
Terry Brooks Terence Dean Brooks (born January 8, 1944) is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly high fantasy, epic fantasy, and has also written two film novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times Best Seller List, ''New York Times'' ...
, fantasy author, graduated from Hamilton College *
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
, US President, childhood resident in 1851–52 at 26 Utica Street when his father was a Presbyterian minister working in Clinton for a missionary society. Cleveland's biographers say he attended the Clinton Liberal Institute, but this is not correct; he attended the Clinton Grammar School. His older brother William graduated from Hamilton College, but because of the death of his father, Grover was unable to continue his education; his last formal education was the Clinton Grammar School. The family resided in Clinton for two years. Cleveland attended Clinton's centennial in 1887, the only seated U.S. president to visit Clinton. * Rose Cleveland, sister of the President, studied at Houghton Academy and taught history and literature there; she also taught more briefly at Hamilton College. She was the nation's first lady for two years; her brother was a bachelor. * George W. Clinton, son of Governor
DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...
, graduated from Hamilton College. * Flick Colby, choreographer * Rev, Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, son of Benjamin Woolsey Dwight, Hamilton College graduate and tutor, founded school in Clinton (see below) * Benjamin Woolsey Dwight, father of Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, Treasurer of Hamilton College * Edward P. Felt, passenger on United Flight 93, died September 11, 2001 * A brother of President
Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...
was a teacher in Clinton. *
Ulysses S. Grant III Ulysses Simpson Grant III (July 4, 1881August 29, 1968) was a United States Army officer and planner. He was the son of Frederick Dent Grant, and the grandson of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army and President of the United ...
, United States Army officer, grandson of President Ulysses S. Grant *
Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botany, botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' (1876) was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessaril ...
, botanist, studied at the Clinton Grammar School *
Alex Haley Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...
, writer * George Hastings, US Congressman, 1853-1857 * Mark Hopkins, President of
Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...
, studied, as a "private pupil", at the Clinton Grammar School He had relatives in the village. * Louisa Matilda Jacobs, an African American, studied at the Young Ladies' Domestic Seminary * Rev. Hiram Huntington Kellogg Sr., graduate of
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
, founder of the Young Ladies' Domestic Seminary and first president of Knox College *
Samuel Kirkland Samuel Kirkland (December 1, 1741 – February 28, 1808) was a Presbyterian minister and missionary among the Oneida and Tuscarora peoples of central New York State. He was a long-time friend of the Oneida chief Skenandoa. Kirkland graduated ...
, a missionary among the Oneida, obtained a charter for Hamilton College in 1812 * Sarah J. Maas, author of ''Throne of Glass'' series of fantasy novels, graduated from Hamilton College * Louis M. Martin, member New York State Assembly, New York Supreme Court * Elizabeth Smith Miller, daughter of Gerrit Smith, studied at Young Ladies' Domestic Seminary * Myrtilla Miner, educator of Blacks, studied at the Young Ladies' Domestic Seminary * John Ripley Myers, co-founder of Bristol-Meyers Squibb *
Joe Nolan Joseph William Nolan (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional baseball catcher, who played for the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Minor Leagues Selected in th ...
, ice hockey defenceman for the Clinton Comets in the 1950s * Nick Palmieri, professional ice hockey player, was born in Clinton * Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters, Danish-born astronomer, worked at Litchfield Observatory, Hamilton College *
Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...
, poet and intellectual; attended Hamilton College * Electa Quinney, native American, studied at the Young Ladies' Domestic Seminaary * Pelatiah Rawson (1789–1847), sometimes spelled Peletiah, Hamilton graduate, engineer that worked on the
Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
, then taught at the
Oneida Institute The Oneida Institute ( ) was a short-lived Presbyterianism, Presbyterian school in Whitesboro, New York, United States, that was a national leader in the emerging Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement. Existing from 1827 to 18 ...
, and founded a short-lived school in Clinton *
Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...
, U.S. Senator, Secretary of War, Nobel peace prize, born in Clinton and attended Hamilton College * Eli Parsons Royce, born in Clinton and was the founder of
Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city and the county seat of Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,450 at the 2020 census, making it the ...
*
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
, taught political science at Hamilton College in 1991; later U.S. Senator from Vermont *
B. F. Skinner Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, inventor, and social philosopher. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1948 until his retirement in ...
, psychologist and social philosopher, graduated from Hamilton College *
Gerrit Smith Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), also spelled Gerritt Smith, was an American social reformer, abolitionist, businessman, public intellectual, and philanthropist. Married to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candidate for P ...
, valedictorian of the first graduating class at Hamilton College, U.S. congressman 1853-1854, three-time presidential candidate * Charles Henry Smyth Jr., attended Clinton Grammar School, geology professor at Hamilton College *
Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American attorney, industrialist, philanthropist, and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician from Watervliet, New York. He served as the eighth governor of Calif ...
, Governor and Senator of California, founder of
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, studied briefly at the Clinton Liberal Institute * De Wayne Stebbins, Wisconsin State Senator from 1895 to 1903, was born in Clinton *
Antoinette Sterling Jane Antoinette Sterling (January 23, 1841January 10, 1904) was an American contralto most known for singing sentimental ballads in Britain and the British Empire. Early life Sterling was born in Sterlingville], New York (state), New York, on ...
, studied music at the White Seminary under Annie Sykes, who had studied at Kellogg's school for young ladies * Hildegarde Swift, award-winning children's author, was born in Clinton


Archival material

In the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, are the Gridley family papers, 7981885. They contain (212 items) the letters of a highly educated Clinton family, who were drawn to evangelical religion and progressive causes in the 1820-1830s.


References


Sources

* * *


External links


Village of Clinton. NY

Clinton Historical Society

Clinton Central School District
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Utica–Rome metropolitan area Populated places established in 1787 Villages in Oneida County, New York George Clinton Clinton (village), New York