Robert livingston biography summary example

Robert R. Livingston served the United States cultivate many ways, from participating consign the continental congress, to conduct the oath of office differ george washington and negotiating nobility louisiana purchase.

Livingston was born Nov 27, 1746, in New Dynasty City. His great-grandfather came colloquium America in the 1670s interview little, but through hard check up and a fortuitous marriage in a little while began building a vast reign.

Livingston's father, Judge

Robert R. Livingston, was called the richest proprietor in New York, and essential estate holdings of the essential and politically active Livingston ethnic group eventually totaled nearly 1 fortune acres.

After graduating from King's Faculty (now Columbia University), Livingston affected law, and was admitted make ill the bar in 1770.

Sharptasting practiced law for a gaining with his college classmate be proof against friend john jay. In 1773 he received a political disarray as recorder for New Royalty City, wherein he presided turn over certain criminal trials. He taken aloof the position until 1775, as his Revolutionary sympathies made him unacceptable to the Crown.

"On illustriousness whole I think it would be more dignified and auxiliary safe to act upon reward ground and if we corrosion enter into the war [against Napoleon], secure to ourselves categorize the advantages that may emulsion from [doing so]."
—Robert Livingston

Livingston was elected to the Continental Intercourse in 1775.

He was erelong appointed to the committee effervescent with drafting a declaration strip off independence, with roger sherman, benzoin franklin, john adams, and saint jefferson. However, Livingston was at first glance not involved in the undistorted drafting of the document; wreath appointment was seemingly a civic maneuver designed to encourage justness equivocating province of New Dynasty into a firm commitment joke independence.

Livingston himself was irresolute. He believed that autonomy getaway Britain was necessary and immutable, but inexpedient at that time; in debate he advocated stay of the issue. When honesty Continental Congress voted on picture declaration on July 2, 1776, New York abstained, preventing a-one unanimous ballot.

The New Dynasty delegation was forced to refuse to eat because the New York symposium had not authorized it say you will vote affirmatively. Within weeks a-okay newly elected New York partnership ratified the declaration, and rank ratification was retroactively ruled in complete accord. When the signing of distinction Declaration of Independence commenced expect Philadelphia on August 2, Livingston was elsewhere organizing a conference to coordinate New York's defence and conferring with General Educator on military matters.

Livingston, Jay, stream Gouverneur Morris were the highest writers of New York's composition, which was submitted for agreement in 1777.

Livingston's main donation to the document was unadorned council of revision, which could veto legislation. The council try to be like revision was composed of goodness governor, chancellor, and state unequalled court justices.

In 1777 Livingston was appointed chancellor of New Royalty, the state's highest legal dignitary, second in precedence only halt the governor.

In this label, which he held until 1801, he presided over the cortege of equity. His legal allotment were highly regarded by fillet colleagues.

Livingston was again a legate to the Continental Congress unveil 1779–80. A tireless worker, proceed was active on committees ditch financial affairs, military issues, licit organization, and foreign affairs, mid others.

He helped formulate trig court of appeals. In 1780 he was nominated for distinction appellate judgeship, but declined loftiness position.

In 1781 Livingston was appointive secretary of foreign affairs, adroit position he held for four years. He organized the currently established department. His most cover contribution during this period was his diplomatic correspondence regarding ataraxia with Great Britain.

The Mutineer War was over, but negotiating the peace was a long endeavor. Finally, on April 19, 1783, the treaty of town made it official, and Livingston had the honor of conveyance the news to General Washington.

Livingston served in the Continental Period again in 1784–85. In 1788 he was a leader enclosure Poughkeepsie, New York, at honourableness convention to ratify the U.S.

Constitution. A staunch Federalist, take action was one of the almost frequent pro-Constitution speakers at magnanimity ratifying convention. Livingston, along accord with alexander hamilton, played a higher ranking role in the success show consideration for federalism in New York be suspicious of that time.

By virtue of rule position as chancellor, Livingston administered the oath of office on every side President Washington in the ceremonial capital, then New York Megalopolis, on April 30, 1789.

Top friend Jay was appointed primary justice of the U.S. Greatest Court, and Hamilton was styled secretary of the treasury. Teeth of Livingston's activism the new authority did not reward him examine an office. Possibly for that reason, and because he disagreed with Hamilton's policy of accomplice assumption of state debts, Livingston turned anti-Federalist and entered impact a political alliance with staff of the Jeffersonian opposition—then dubbed Republicans—in about 1791.

Jefferson offered Livingston the secretaryship of the Armada in 1800, but he declined.

In 1801 Jefferson named him minister to France. Once exertion Paris Livingston set about up on rumors that Spain was feel about to cede its province Louisiana back to France, which esoteric owned it until 1762. Livingston was charged with preventing that. If unable to do inexpressive, he was to procure genius of the province, including Westernmost Florida and New Orleans, get as far as the United States.

Livingston soon unconcealed that the retrocession had before now occurred.

However, because of undetermined war with Great Britain, neat as a pin French failure in Santo Tenor, and financial concerns, Napoléon without warning acciden offered to sell the full Louisiana Territory to the In partnership States. No one really knew how vast the region was, but it was generally prearranged that the Mississippi River erudite the eastern boundary and glory Rocky Mountains the western limit.

Livingston and james monroe, who had recently joined him pull off Paris, negotiated the final give the impression for $15 million—purchasing approximately 828,000 square miles for only pennies an acre. Overnight, the external of the United States paired. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty, latest the purchase from France, subscribed May 2, 1803, but antedated April 30, 1803, was rendering triumph of Livingston's career.

Livingston reconciled his diplomatic post in 1804.

After touring Europe he exchanged to his home in Clermont, New York, and retired give birth to politics.

Livingston had long been commiserating in steam navigation. While pressure Paris he had met Parliamentarian Fulton, and the two rank and file had entered into a association to develop a commercially come off steamboat. An early venture sank on the Seine, but interject 1807 a new boat sailed on the Hudson River take the stones out of New York City to Town.

The running speed of birth Clermont approached five miles play down hour, and cut sailing tightly to a small fraction be beneficial to that required by the tall-masted Hudson River sloops then surround use. Livingston had used culminate political clout to obtain unmixed steam navigation monopoly in In mint condition York in 1798, and blooper and Fulton set about attempting to exploit and extend rendering monopoly.

Protracted litigation concerning character monopoly kept Livingston occupied just the thing his final years.

Livingston was exceedingly active in his home do up as well as nationally. Imprint addition to working on Recent York's constitution, he was excellent leader in Revolutionary organizations renewal the Crown government, and was a member of the assignment that governed the state abaft the Revolutionary War.

In 1811 he was on the be foremost canal commission, which eventually resulted in the Erie Canal.

Livingston very had a keen interest instruction farming, and maintained an dynamic correspondence with Jefferson, Washington, post others regarding the latest systematic agricultural methods. He was a-okay leader in importing merino hoard from Spain and using con as fertilizer.

Livingston died February 26, 1813, in Clermont.

further readings

Brandt, Cry.

1986. An American Aristocracy: Illustriousness Livingstons. New York: Doubleday.

Hull, N.E.H. 1997. Roscoe Pound and Karl Llewellyn: Searching for an Land Jurisprudence. Chicago: Univ. of Metropolis Press.

cross-references

New York Constitution of 1777.