DeWitt Clinton

DeWitt Clinton
Portrait by Rembrandt Peale (1823)
7th & 9th Governor of New York
In office
January 1, 1825 – February 11, 1828
LieutenantJames Tallmadge Jr.
Nathaniel Pitcher
Preceded byJoseph C. Yates
Succeeded byNathaniel Pitcher
In office
July 1, 1817 – January 1, 1823
LieutenantJohn Tayler
Preceded byJohn Tayler (acting)
Succeeded byJoseph C. Yates
47th, 49th and 51st Mayor of New York City
In office
1811–1815
Preceded byJacob Radcliff
Succeeded byJohn Ferguson
In office
1808–1810
Preceded byMarinus Willett
Succeeded byJacob Radcliff
In office
1803–1807
Preceded byEdward Livingston
Succeeded byMarinus Willett
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office
1811–1813
GovernorDaniel D. Tompkins
Preceded byJohn Tayler (acting)
Succeeded byJohn Tayler
United States Senator
from New York
In office
February 9, 1802 – November 4, 1803
Preceded byJohn Armstrong Jr.
Succeeded byJohn Armstrong Jr.
Personal details
Born(1769-03-02)March 2, 1769
Little Britain, New York, British America
DiedFebruary 11, 1828(1828-02-11) (aged 58)
Albany, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Other political
affiliations
Federalist (1812)
Spouses
Maria Franklin
(m. 1796; died 1818)
Catharine Jones
(m. 1819)
Children10, including George W. Clinton
EducationPrinceton University
Columbia University (BA)
Signature

DeWitt Clinton[a] (March 2, 1769 – February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh and ninth governor of New York. In the last capacity, he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal.[1][2] Clinton was a major candidate for the American presidency in the election of 1812, challenging incumbent James Madison.

A nephew of two-term U.S. vice president and New York governor George Clinton, DeWitt Clinton was his uncle's secretary before launching his own political career. As a Democratic-Republican, Clinton won election to the New York State legislature in 1798 before briefly serving as a U.S. Senator. Returning to New York, Clinton served three terms as the appointed Mayor of New York City and the lieutenant governor of New York State. In the 1812 presidential election, Clinton won support from the Federalists as well as from a group of Democratic-Republicans who were dissatisfied with Madison. Though Madison won re-election, Clinton carried most of the Northeastern United States and fared significantly better than the previous two Federalist-supported tickets. After the presidential election, Clinton continued to be affiliated with the Democratic-Republican Party.

Clinton was governor of New York from 1817 to 1822 and from 1825 to 1828, and presided over the construction of the Erie Canal. Clinton believed that infrastructure improvements could transform American life, drive economic growth, and encourage political participation. He heavily influenced the development of infrastructure both in New York State and in the United States as a whole.[3]


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  1. ^ Burrows, Edwin G. "Little Short of Madness". American Heritage (Winter 2010).
  2. ^ Campbell, William W. (1849). The Life and Writings of De Witt Clinton. New York: Baker & Scribner. ISBN 9780795010972.
  3. ^ Howe (2007), p. 241