Walter Livingston (November 27, 1740 – May 14, 1797) was an American merchant, lawyer and politician.

Early life

He was a son of Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of

Livingston Manor Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. Located between the Hudson River and the Massachusetts border, the Livingston Manor was locate ...

, and Maria Thong Livingston (1711–1765), a granddaughter of Governor Rip Van Dam. His elder brother was Peter R. Livingston. He was a nephew of Philip Livingston (1716–1778) and the grandson of Philip Livingston (1686–1749) and Catharina Van Brugh. He was the great-grandson of

Robert Livingston the Elder Robert Livingston the Elder (13 December 1654 – 1728) was a Scottish-born merchant and government official in the Province of New York. He was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) of land along the Hudson River, becomin ...

(1654–1728), a New York colonial official, fur trader, and businessman who was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km²/ 250 sq mi) along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, and becoming the first lord of

. His paternal great-grandmother was Alida Schuyler (born 1656), the daughter of

Philip Pieterse Schuyler Colonel Philip Pieterse Schuyler or Philip Pieterse (1628 – 9 May 1683) was a Dutch-born landowner in New Netherlands and progenitor of the senior line of the American Schuyler family. Early life Philip Pieterse Schuyler was born in Amsterda ...

and the widow of Nicholas Van Rensselaer. His great-grandparents were Pieter Van Brugh (1666–1740) and Sara Cuyler.

Life

He was a delegate to the Provincial Convention held in New York in April and May 1775, and a member of the First

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

from May to November 1775. He served as Commissary of Stores and Provisions for the Department of New York from July 17, 1775, until September 7, 1776, when he resigned. He was Deputy Commissary General of the Northern Department in 1775 and 1776. WSTM nathanschneider 0039

In 1777, he was appointed a county judge for Albany County. He was a member of the

first First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

state assemblies from 1777 to 1779, and the eighth from 1784–85, as one of ten representatives elected on a county-wide general ticket. He was elected by his fellow representatives to be the inaugural Speaker of the Assembly, also from 1777 to 1779. In 1784, he was a member of the New York and Massachusetts Boundary Commission. He was a member of the Board of Regents 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 ...

from 1784 to 1787. He was a member from New York of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

in 1784 and 1785. In 1785, he was appointed Commissioner of the United States Treasury.

Residence

In 1774, Walter built a Georgian mansion, on a 500-acre estate called

Teviotdale Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

in Linlithgo, New York.

Personal life

He married Cornelia Schuyler (1746–1822), daughter of Pieter P. Schuyler (1723–1753) and Gertrude Schuyler (1724–1813), his cousin. Cornelia was the granddaughter of

Pieter Schuyler Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...

(1657–1724), the first mayor of Albany. Their children include: * Henry Walter Livingston (1768–1810), a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

, who married Mary Allen in 1796. * Maria Livingston (1770–1828), who married Philip Henry Livingston (1770–1831) in 1788 * Peter Schuyler Livingston (1772–1809), who married Eliza Barclay (1776–1817), the daughter of Thomas Henry Barclay * Robert L. Livingston (1775–1843), who married Margaret Maria Livingston (1783–1818), the daughter of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston * Gertrude Livingston (1778–1864), who married William Cutting (1773–1820). * Harriet Livingston (1783–1826), who married

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

(1765–1815) in 1808. He was buried at Trinity Churchyard in New York. His home at Linlithgo in

Columbia County, New York Columbia County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 61,570. The county seat is Hudson, New York, Hudson. The name comes from th ...

, known as

, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979.

Descendants

Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (b. 1943), a Republican

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 ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

that was the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee from 1995 to 1999, is Walter Livingston's great-great-great-great-grandson. Through his daughter Gertrude, he was the grandfather of Fulton Cutting (1816–1875), who married Elise Justine Bayard (1823–1852) and were the parents of

William Bayard Cutting William Bayard Cutting (January 12, 1850 – March 1, 1912), a member of New York's merchant aristocracy, was an attorney, financier, real estate developer, sugar beet refiner and philanthropist. Cutting and his brother Fulton started the sugar ...

(1850–1912) and Robert Fulton Cutting (1852–1934).

References

;Notes ;Sources *
Political Graveyard

Ancestry of ''Bob Livingston''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Walter 1740 births 1797 deaths Continental Army staff officers Members of the New York Provincial Congress Continental Congressmen from New York (state) Politicians from Albany, New York Speakers of the New York State Assembly

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

Schuyler family American politicians of Dutch descent American people of Scottish descent Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery 18th-century American merchants 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature