Constitution Signer

William Livingston

1.     Early Life

a.     State of residence: Mainly New Jersey

Born Nov. 30, 1723, Albany, N.Y. [U.S.]
Died July 25, 1790, Elizabeth, N.J.

b.     Offices held - served briefly in the New York legislature (1759–60

c.      Occupation: lawyer

2.     Role in the Revolutionary War

      Moved to New Jersey in 1772, he represented that colony in the First and Second Continental Congresses (1774–76) but left Philadelphia in June 1776 to command the New Jersey troops as a brigadier general and held this post until he was elected later that year as the first Governor of New Jersey. He held the New Jersey governorship for 14 years.

3.     Participation in the Constitutional Convention – Contributions to the final document and final vote

He did not arrive until June 5 and missed several weeks in July, but he performed vital committee work, particularly as chairman of the one that reached a compromise on the issue of slavery. He also supported the New Jersey Plan. In addition, he spurred New Jersey's rapid ratification of the Constitution (1787). The next year, Yale awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree.

4.     Federal Government and Congress – did not serve in the new government.

5.     Death and Legacy

Livingston died soon after the convention at his seat near Elizabethtown, July 25, 1790.

Governor Livingston was remarkably plain and simple in his dress and manners. He was convivial, easy, mild, witty, and fond of anecdote. Fixed and unshaken in Christian principles, his life presented an example of incorruptible integrity, strict honor, and warm benevolence. His writings evince a vigorous mind and a refined taste. Intimately acquainted with ancient and modern literature, he acquired an elegance of style which placed him among the first writers of his time. (Source: Marshall, James V.. The United States Manual of Biography and History. Philadelphia: James B. Smith & Co., 1856. Pages 174, 175. (Some minor spelling changes may have been made.)

Notes:

Interesting: His maternal grandmother reared him until he was 14, and he then spent a year with a missionary among the Mohawk Indians. He attended Yale and graduated in 1741.