Samuel Osgood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Osgood
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| 4th United States Postmaster General | |
| In office September 26, 1789 – August 12, 1791 |
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| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Ebenezer Hazard |
| Succeeded by | Timothy Pickering |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 3, 1747 Andover, Massachusetts, British America (now North Andover) |
| Died | August 12, 1813 (aged 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouses | Martha Brandon (1775–1778) Maria Bowne Franklin (1786–1813) |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Vanderbilt family |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Samuel Osgood (born February 3, 1747 – died August 12, 1813) was an important American leader. He was a merchant, which means he bought and sold goods, and a statesman, meaning he was involved in government. He was born in Andover, Massachusetts, which is now part of North Andover, Massachusetts.
Samuel Osgood's family home in North Andover still stands today. His home in New York City was even more special because it became the very first Presidential mansion for George Washington. Osgood served in the government of both Massachusetts and New York. He also represented Massachusetts in the Continental Congress, which was the government during the American Revolution. He became the fourth Postmaster General of the United States, and the first one under the new U.S. Constitution. He held this job during George Washington's first time as president.
In 1812, Samuel Osgood was chosen to be the first president of a new bank called City Bank of New York. This bank later grew into Citibank, which is a very large bank today.
Contents
Who Was Samuel Osgood?
His Early Life and Education
Samuel Osgood was born in 1747. His family had come to Massachusetts from England many years before. Samuel went to Dummer Academy, which is now called The Governor's Academy. After that, he studied at Harvard College and graduated in 1770. He studied theology, which is the study of religious beliefs.
After college, he went back to Andover to work as a merchant. He also joined the local militia, which was a group of citizens who trained to be soldiers. He was chosen to represent his town in the colonial assembly, which was like a local government. In 1775, he was part of the provincial congress, which acted as a revolutionary government during the fight for independence.
Samuel Osgood's Role in the Revolution
Fighting for Independence
In the spring of 1775, Samuel Osgood led a group of local minutemen, who were soldiers ready to fight at a moment's notice. They took part in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which were some of the first battles of the American Revolution. His group followed the British soldiers as they retreated and then joined the Siege of Boston. A siege is when an army surrounds a place to try and capture it.
As more soldiers gathered, Osgood became a Major in a brigade while serving in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He then became an aide to General Artemas Ward and was promoted to Colonel. After the siege of Boston was successful in the spring of 1776, Osgood left the army and returned to the provincial congress.
Serving in Government During the War
The Provincial Congress chose Osgood to be on the Massachusetts Board of War. He worked there until 1780, when the government was changed. He also helped write the state's new constitution between 1779 and 1780. Under this new constitution, he was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1780 and served two terms.
The new government also chose Osgood to be one of their representatives to the Continental Congress. He served in this important role from 1782 to 1784. After a short time in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1784, the governor made Osgood a judge in 1785. However, he soon left that job when the national Congress made him a commissioner of the Treasury later that year. He moved to New York City for this new job and stayed there until the Congressional Government ended.
Life After the Revolution
Becoming Postmaster General
When the new U.S. government started in 1789, George Washington, who was then president, chose Samuel Osgood to be the first United States Postmaster General under the new U.S. Constitution. He took over from Ebenezer Hazard. Osgood was Postmaster General from 1789 to 1791.
One of the first things Osgood did was make the Post Office in Baltimore the new main office for that region. The postmaster there was Mary Katharine Goddard. Osgood asked Goddard to leave her job, and she was replaced by John White.
The First Presidential Home
At that time, the U.S. government was located in New York City. The official home for the president was at the Samuel Osgood House at 1 Cherry Street. This was actually Samuel Osgood's own home! Osgood offered his house to President Washington so that the president and his wife would have the best house in the city to live in. This made Osgood's home America's very first executive mansion, or presidential residence.
When the U.S. government moved to Philadelphia for ten years before finally settling in Washington, D.C., Osgood decided to stay in New York. He resigned from his job as Postmaster General in 1791.
Later Career in New York
Samuel Osgood continued to be involved in politics. He was a presidential elector in 1792, which means he helped choose the president. He voted for George Washington and George Clinton.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1800-01 and 1802. He even served as the Speaker in 1800-01, which is a very important leadership role. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson appointed him as Naval Officer of the Port of New York. He held this job until he passed away. In the last year of his life, he was the president of the new City Bank of New York.
Osgood was also a member of the American Philosophical Society, a group that studies science and knowledge. In his later years, he spent time writing and studying. He wrote many letters to important people like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Samuel Osgood's Family Life
Samuel Osgood was married twice. On January 4, 1775, he married Martha Brandon, but she passed away in 1778. On May 24, 1786, he married Maria Bowne. Maria was a widow and had a daughter named Maria Franklin Clinton, who later married New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. Samuel and Maria Osgood had a daughter named Martha Brandon Osgood. She married a diplomat named Edmond-Charles Genêt.
His Legacy
Samuel Osgood passed away in New York City in 1813. His birthplace in North Andover, Massachusetts is on a street named after his family. Both his North Andover home and his New York City residence are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means they are important historical sites. A portrait of Colonel Osgood has been kept in the President's Room of the United States Capitol since Abraham Lincoln was president.
See also
In Spanish: Samuel Osgood para niños
