DeWitt Clinton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
DeWitt Clinton
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Portrait by Rembrandt Peale (1823)
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| 6th Governor of New York | |
| In office January 1, 1825 – February 11, 1828 |
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| Lieutenant | James Tallmadge Jr. Nathaniel Pitcher |
| Preceded by | Joseph C. Yates |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Pitcher |
| In office July 1, 1817 – December 31, 1822 |
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| Lieutenant | John Tayler |
| Preceded by | John Tayler (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Joseph C. Yates |
| 47th, 49th and 51st Mayor of New York City | |
| In office 1811–1815 |
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| Preceded by | Jacob Radcliff |
| Succeeded by | John Ferguson |
| In office 1808–1810 |
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| Preceded by | Marinus Willett |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Radcliff |
| In office 1803–1807 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Livingston |
| Succeeded by | Marinus Willett |
| Lieutenant Governor of New York | |
| In office 1811–1813 |
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| Governor | Daniel D. Tompkins |
| Preceded by | John Tayler (acting) |
| Succeeded by | John Tayler |
| United States Senator from New York |
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| In office February 9, 1802 – November 4, 1803 |
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| Preceded by | John Armstrong Jr. |
| Succeeded by | John Armstrong Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1769 Little Britain, New York, British America |
| Died | February 11, 1828 (aged 58) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouses |
Maria Franklin
(m. 1796; died 1818)Catharine Jones
(m. 1819) |
| Children | 10, including George W. Clinton |
| Education | Princeton University Columbia University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
DeWitt Clinton (born March 2, 1769 – died February 11, 1828) was an important American politician. He was a U.S. Senator, the mayor of New York City, and the seventh governor of New York State. He is most famous for leading the building of the Erie Canal, a huge waterway that changed travel and trade.
Clinton was the nephew of George Clinton, who was a U.S. Vice President and New York governor. DeWitt Clinton started his political journey as his uncle's secretary. He became a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. He served in the New York State government and briefly as a U.S. Senator. Later, he was elected Mayor of New York City three times and also served as the lieutenant governor of New York.
In the 1812 presidential election, Clinton ran for president against James Madison. He had support from the Federalists and some other groups. Even though he lost, he did very well, showing how popular he was. After this, he remained a key figure in the Democratic-Republican Party.
Clinton was governor of New York from 1817 to 1822 and again from 1825 to 1828. During his time as governor, he oversaw the construction of the Erie Canal. He believed that improving roads and waterways could make American life better, help the economy grow, and encourage people to get involved in politics. He greatly influenced how New York and the whole country developed their transportation systems.
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Early Life and Education
DeWitt Clinton was born on March 2, 1769. He was the second son of Major-General James Clinton and Mary De Witt. His family had roots in the Netherlands. He was born in Little Britain, New York, which is now a small town in New Windsor.
He went to Kingston Academy for school. For college, he first attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He then moved to King's College, which changed its name to Columbia College while he was a student. He was in the first class to graduate under the new name.
DeWitt Clinton had a brother, George Clinton Jr., and a half-brother, James G. Clinton, who both became U.S. Representatives. He also had a cousin named Simeon De Witt. He started his career as the secretary for his uncle, George Clinton, who was then the governor of New York. Soon after, he joined the Democratic-Republican Party.
Political Career
New York State and U.S. Senate
Clinton served in the New York State Assembly in 1798. He was also a member of the New York State Senate from 1798 to 1802 and again from 1806 to 1811. In 1801, he helped write the New York State Constitution.
The New York State government chose him to be a U.S. Senator for New York. He took the place of John Armstrong Jr. and served from February 1802 to November 1803. He resigned because he didn't like living in the new city of Washington, D.C.. After leaving the Senate, he was appointed mayor of New York City.
Mayor of New York City
DeWitt Clinton was the mayor of New York City for several terms: from 1803 to 1807, 1808 to 1810, and 1811 to 1815. As mayor, he helped create the New-York Historical Society in 1804 and became its president. He was also a key leader in starting the idea for the Erie Canal.
He helped restart the American Academy of the Fine Arts in 1808 and was its president from 1813 to 1817. He also served as a leader for the University of the State of New York from 1808 to 1825. In 1814, he became a member of the American Antiquarian Society. He was its vice president from 1821 to 1828. In 1816, he was also chosen as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In 1811, the position of lieutenant governor became empty when John Broome passed away. In a special election, Clinton won against Nicholas Fish and Marinus Willett. He served as lieutenant governor until June 1813.
Presidential Campaign
In 1812, DeWitt Clinton decided to run for president. His uncle, George Clinton, had tried to challenge President James Madison in 1808. After his uncle's death, many of his supporters backed DeWitt Clinton.
Clinton ran as a candidate for both the Federalist Party and a group of Democratic-Republicans who did not want war. In the close election of 1812, President Madison won. However, Clinton received 89 electoral votes compared to Madison's 128. This was the strongest performance by a Federalist-backed candidate since 1800. If only a few votes had changed in one or two states, Clinton could have won.
Governor of New York
After Daniel D. Tompkins resigned to become vice president, DeWitt Clinton ran for governor of New York. He was the only major candidate and won easily in a special election. He became governor of New York on July 1, 1817.
He was re-elected in 1820, winning a close race against Vice President Tompkins. He served until December 31, 1822. During his second term, the rules for governor changed. The term was shortened to two years and started on January 1. This meant his term ended six months early.
Even though he wasn't nominated for governor in 1822, he remained the president of the Erie Canal Commission. In 1824, many of his political opponents tried to remove him from the Canal Commission. This made many voters angry, and they supported Clinton. He was then nominated for governor by a new group called the People's Party. He won the election, defeating Samuel Young. Clinton served two more terms as governor until he passed away suddenly while in office.
Freemasonry
DeWitt Clinton was a Freemason. He joined the "Holland" Lodge in New York in 1790. In 1806, he was chosen as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York. He also helped create the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in the United States. He was its first Grand Master from 1816 until his death in 1828.
The Grand Lodge of New York created the DeWitt Clinton Award. This award honors groups or people who are not Masons but have done great community service. It recognizes those who care about helping others and believe in human kindness.
The Erie Canal
From 1810 to 1824, Clinton was a member of the Erie Canal Commission. He was one of the first members who planned the route for the canal.
As governor, Clinton was very important in building the Erie Canal. He was convinced by Jesse Hawley to support building a canal from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. Many people thought this project was impossible. Opponents even made fun of it, calling it "Clinton's Folly" or "DeWitt's Ditch." But in 1817, he convinced the state government to spend $7 million to build it.
When the canal was finished in 1825, Clinton officially opened it. He traveled in a boat called the Seneca Chief along the canal to Buffalo. After riding all the way from Lake Erie to New York City, he poured two barrels of water from Lake Erie into New York Harbor. This celebrated the first time waters from the Great Lakes were connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
The canal was a huge success! It carried many passengers and a lot of goods. The cost of moving freight between Buffalo and Albany dropped from $100 to just $10 per ton. The state quickly earned back the money it spent by collecting tolls on the canal. After the canal was completed, public opinion about Clinton changed a lot. People now praised him for making the canal happen.
Newspapers that had criticized him before now celebrated his achievement. For example, one newspaper wrote: "The efforts of Gov. Clinton to advance the best interest of the State... are very generally acknowledged... His exertions in favor of the great canal have identified his name with that noble enterprise, and he will be remembered while its benefits are experienced." It ended by saying, "Yield credit to Clinton, and hail him by name."
Helping Others
DeWitt Clinton also worked to help people in need. With a financier named Thomas Eddy, he was a director of New York's first savings bank. This bank was created to help workers and poor people save their money.
Personal Life
Clinton was married twice. In 1796, he married Maria Franklin. She was the daughter of a well-known Quaker merchant. They had ten children together, and seven of them were still alive when Maria passed away in 1818. One of their children was George William Clinton, who became the mayor of Buffalo, New York. DeWitt Clinton was not related to Bill Clinton, who was a U.S. president much later.
In 1819, Clinton married Catharine Jones. She was the daughter of a New York doctor. Catharine lived longer than her husband.
DeWitt Clinton passed away suddenly from heart failure in Albany on February 11, 1828. He left his family in a difficult financial situation. Even though he was a great leader in government, he wasn't very good at managing his own money. His family was in debt and had no way to support themselves after he died.
His funeral was a very grand state event. However, his family didn't have money to buy a proper burial spot. So, Clinton was first buried in the family tomb of an old friend in Albany. Sixteen years later, enough money was raised to provide a suitable burial. On June 21, 1844, his remains were moved to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where a monument was built for him.
Legacy
DeWitt Clinton achieved a lot as a leader in New York. He improved the public school system and supported new ideas like steam navigation. He also helped change laws for criminals and people who owed money.
- The DeWitt Clinton locomotive, an early train from 1831, was named after him.
- His portrait appeared on the $1,000 bill in 1880. You can see an example on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's website.
- In 1926, the DeWitt Clinton Professorship of American History was created at Columbia University.
- Clinton became a focus of attention during the Erie Canal's 200th anniversary celebrations, which started in 2017 and will continue until 2025.
- In 2017, the Museum of the City of New York restored a statue of Clinton.
- A book called In DeWitt's Footsteps was published in 2017. It features Clinton's descendants exploring parts of the original canal.
- March 2, 2019, was the 250th anniversary of DeWitt Clinton's birth. Events were held at the Erie Canal Museum and the Buffalo Maritime Center.
- After he was governor, "DeWitt" became a popular first name.
- A type of flowering plant, Clintonia, was named after him in 1818.
His picture also appeared on many tobacco tax stamps in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
