Obadiah German (April 22, 1766September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a

U.S. Senator from New York Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term (Senators who were elected regularly before th ...

(1809-1815) and

Speaker of the New York State Assembly The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. As in most countries with a British heritage, the Speaker (politics), speaker presides o ...

in 1819.

Life

He was born on April 22, 1766 in Amenia, New York. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich. A

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809. In

1809 Events January–March * January 5 – The Treaty of the Dardanelles, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Ottoman Empire, is concluded. * January 10 – Peninsular War – French Marshal Jean ...

, he was elected a

. He served one term, March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1815 and was not a candidate for reelection. German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, and voted against the declaration of war. In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

. He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819. He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general. Supporting DeWitt Clinton's

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed to the state Public Works Commission in 1817. German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the Clintonian faction of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

and was chosen to serve as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

. Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized. He died on September 24, 1842 in

Norwich, New York Norwich is a city and county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich,. The name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census. Lt. Warren Eaton Airpor ...

. He was buried at North Norwich Cemetery in

North Norwich, New York North Norwich is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 1,783 at the 2010 census. The town is directly north of the City of Norwich in the eastern half of the county. History The first settlement began ''cir ...

Family

German had seven children with his first wife, Mary Ann Lewis, known as Ann, who died in 1829. :Lewis German (d. 1819) was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and a veteran of the

. :Morris :Sutherland :Albert was an innkeeper in Norwich before moving to Ohio. :Walter, who succeeded his father in the family's Norwich mercantile business. He served as a militia captain during the War of 1812 and became insolvent after his business failed in 1820. :Julia, who was the wife of Stephen Anderson of Norwich, and later resided in Wisconsin. :Maria (d. 1876), who was the wife of Reverend George Harmon and resided in Wisconsin and Ohio. After the death of his first wife he married Mary Ann Knight, a woman much younger than he. They had two children, Frederick and George. By some accounts the marriage was not a happy one, with Mary Ann Knight and the children living in Syracuse while Obadiah German continued to reside in Norwich.

Widow

Obadiah German's widow Mary Ann Knight claimed to have been defrauded by her brother (some accounts say German's brother) of German's $70,000 estate (about $1.7 million in 2014). She took up residence in Syracuse and became a public charge after being found "in a state of great destitution", her efforts at earning a living through painting and "fancy work" having failed. Her claim to be German's widow was not believed in Syracuse until it was confirmed after her death.

Legacy

The town of

German, New York German is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 370 at the 2010 census. The town is named after U.S. Senator Obadiah German, the original land owner. The town is at the western border of the county and is west of N ...

is named after him.

Attempts to locate portrait

German is one of approximately 50 former senators for whom the U.S. Senate's photo historian has no likeness on file. Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.

References

Sources

Internet

External links

*
Obadiah German
at

Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...