George William Clinton (April 21, 1807 – September 7, 1885) was an American lawyer, politician, judge, author, and amateur naturalist. He served as mayor of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

from 1842 to 1843.

Early life and family

Clinton was born on April 21, 1807, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Maria Franklin (1775–1818) and

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...

(1769–1828), while the latter was serving as

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

. His father later became a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and the 6th Governor of New York. He was the grandson of Major General

James Clinton Major general (United States), Major-General James Clinton (August 9, 1736 – September 22, 1812) was a Continental Army officer and politician who fought in the American Revolutionary War. During the war he, along with John Sullivan (ge ...

(1736–1812), grandnephew of George Clinton (1739–1812), the 4th U.S. Vice President, nephew of George Clinton, Jr. (1771–1809), a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, and James G. Clinton (1804–1849), also a member of the House of Representatives.

Education

Clinton grew up in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, and attended

The Albany Academy Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school in Albany, New York. It enrolls students from Prekindergaten (age 4) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the cit ...

. He graduated from

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

in 1825 and

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

in 1827, and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. In 1828, he attended the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School was a law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, that operated from 1774 to 1833. Litchfield was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietar ...

, completed his legal studies with Judge

Ambrose Spencer Ambrose Spencer (December 13, 1765March 13, 1848) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life Ambrose Spencer was born on December 13, 1765, in Salisbury in the Connecticut Colony. He was the son of Philip Spencer and Mary (née Moore) Sp ...

(1765–1848), and was admitted to the bar in 1831.

Career

Clinton initially practiced law in Albany with Matthew Henry Webster and then in 1832 formed a partnership with the son of his legal mentor,

John Canfield Spencer John Canfield Spencer (January 8, 1788 – May 17, 1855) was an American lawyer, politician, judge and United States Cabinet secretary in the administration of President John Tyler. After graduating from Union College in 1806, Spencer practiced ...

(1788–1855), who eventually became the 17th

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...

and 16th

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua () is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell. ...

. He served as the

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Ontario County from 1835 to 1836. In 1836, he moved to Buffalo and settled on the north side of East Mohawk Street between Washington and Ellicott Streets. The same year he organized the local Democratic Party with 20 or so other citizens.

Political career

On March 22, 1838, he was appointed Collector of Customs at Buffalo by U.S. President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

. Clinton served in this role until 1842 when he was succeeded by

Jedediah Hyde Lathrop Jedediah Hyde Lathrop (July 5, 1806 – November 23, 1889) was an American merchant. Early life Lathrop was born on July 5, 1806, in Lebanon in Grafton County, New Hampshire. He was a younger son of Lois ( Huntington) Lathrop (1765–1846) and Sa ...

. In March of that same year, Clinton was elected Mayor of Buffalo. Although a Democrat, his election was unique in that he was not a party candidate. During his term the City Charter was revised. On March 14, 1843, he presided over his last council meeting. Clinton was appointed as

United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York The United States attorney for the Northern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in 32 counties in the northern part of the State of New York (state), New York. The current U.S. attorney is Carla B. Freedman who was nam ...

under President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...

, and served from 1847 to 1850. From 1854 to 1878 he was

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of Buffalo's Superior Court. His legal writings included the three volume ''Digest of the Decisions of the Law and Equity Courts of the State of New York'' and Phi Beta Kappa oration Union College in 1857. In 1867, he was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

Later career

In 1856, he was appointed a Regent of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

. He served until his death, and attained the position of Vice Chancellor of the board. In 1882, he moved to Albany to become editor of the Clinton Papers, a collection left by his granduncle George Clinton. Clinton was one of the organizers of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, founded on December 5, 1861. He was chosen its first president, and served for 20 years in that role. He was an amateur naturalist, and published 1882's ''Catalogue of the Native and Naturalized Plants of the City of Buffalo and its Vicinity''.

Personal life

On May 15, 1832, he married Laura Catherine Spencer (1810–1891), the daughter of

, his former law partner. Their children included: *De Witt Clinton (1833–1873) *Charles Clinton *Elizabeth Spencer Clinton (1835–1918), who married Henry L. Clinton (1820–1899), a prominent

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

lawyer. *Spencer Clinton (1839–1914), an

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gov ...

in Buffalo, who married Sarah Riley (1851–1880), daughter of William A. Riley and Frances A. Stillman, in 1870. After her death, he married her sister, Carrie Riley (1859–1887), and in 1895, he married a third time to Cora Caldwell (1870–1925). *Catharine Clinton (1841–1881), who married Albert J. Wheeler (1841–1924), president of the Western Savings Bank and Wheeler-Monarch Elevator Company. *Minnie Natalie Clinton, who married Abram H. Baldwin *George Clinton (1846–1934), an attorney in Buffalo, married Alice Thornton (1847–1931), daughter of Thomas F. Thornton and Jane Parker. He died on September 7, 1885, while walking through

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical ...

Menands Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,554 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. ...

. He was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery after a service at

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, still clutching the

clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

he was holding when he died.

Honors

In 1864, Clinton was awarded the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

by Hamilton College.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, George William 1807 births 1885 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Hamilton College (New York) alumni Norwich University alumni Litchfield Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers New York (state) Democrats Mayors of Buffalo, New York County district attorneys in New York (state) United States attorneys for the Northern District of New York American naturalists Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Clinton family (New York) Scientists from New York (state) 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Spencer family (New York) De Witt family Collectors of the Port of Buffalo The Albany Academy alumni