Obadiah German: Difference between revisions
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He was born on April 22, 1766 in [[Amenia (town), New York|Amenia, New York]].<ref name=bio>{{cite book |date=2005 |title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MBIctdjjkC&pg=PA1112&dq |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government Printing Office |page=1112 |isbn=978-0-1607-3176-1 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.<ref name=bio/> He was a member of the [[New York State Assembly]] from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809.<ref name=bio/> |
He was born on April 22, 1766 in [[Amenia (town), New York|Amenia, New York]].<ref name=bio>{{cite book |date=2005 |title=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9MBIctdjjkC&pg=PA1112&dq |location=Washington, DC |publisher=US Government Printing Office |page=1112 |isbn=978-0-1607-3176-1 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.<ref name=bio/> He was a member of the [[New York State Assembly]] from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809.<ref name=bio/> |
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In [[United States Senate election in New York, 1809|1809]], he was elected a [[U.S. Senator from New York]], and served from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1815.<ref name=bio/> German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the [[War of 1812]], and voted against the declaration of war.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Willis Fletcher |last2=Smith |first2=Ray B. |date=1922 |title=Political and Governmental History of the State of New York |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbA3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA415&dq |location=Syracuse, NY |publisher=The Syracuse Press |page=415 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of [[Hamilton College (New York)|Hamilton College]]. 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.<ref name=bio/> |
In [[United States Senate election in New York, 1809|1809]], he was elected a [[U.S. Senator from New York]], and served from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1815.<ref name=bio/> German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the [[War of 1812]], and voted against the declaration of war.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Willis Fletcher |last2=Smith |first2=Ray B. |date=1922 |title=Political and Governmental History of the State of New York |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbA3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA415&dq |location=Syracuse, NY |publisher=The Syracuse Press |page=415 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of [[Hamilton College (New York)|Hamilton College]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hamilton College |date=December 1, 1917 |title=Minutes of the First Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxM_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA90&dq |magazine=Hamilton Literary Magazine |location=Utica, NY |publisher=L. C. Childs & Son |page=90 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819.<ref name=bio/> He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.<ref name=bio/> |
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Supporting [[DeWitt Clinton]]'s [[Erie Canal]] project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed State Commissioner of Public Works in 1817. German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the [[DeWitt Clinton|Clintonian]] faction of the [[Democratic-Republican Party]] and was chosen to serve as [[Speaker of the New York State Assembly|Speaker]].<ref name="Johnson"/> Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a [[United States Whig Party|Whig]] when that party was organized.<ref name=bio/> |
Supporting [[DeWitt Clinton]]'s [[Erie Canal]] project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed State Commissioner of Public Works in 1817. German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the [[DeWitt Clinton|Clintonian]] faction of the [[Democratic-Republican Party]] and was chosen to serve as [[Speaker of the New York State Assembly|Speaker]].<ref name="Johnson"/> Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a [[United States Whig Party|Whig]] when that party was organized.<ref name=bio/> |
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Revision as of 15:32, 1 January 2021
Obadiah German | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office January 6, 1819 – June 30, 1819 | |
| Preceded by | David Woods |
| Succeeded by | John C. Spencer |
| United States Senator from New York | |
| In office March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1815 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel L. Mitchill |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Sanford |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1798 1804-1805 1807-1809 1819 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 22, 1766 Amenia, New York |
| Died | September 24, 1842 (aged 76) Norwich, Chenango County, New York |
| Resting place | North Norwich Cemetery, North Norwich, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ann Lewis (d. 1829) Mary Ann Knight (d. 1861) |
Obadiah German (April 22, 1766 – September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from New York (1809-1815) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1819.
Life
He was born on April 22, 1766 in Amenia, New York.[1] He was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.[1] He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809.[1]
In 1809, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York, and served from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1815.[1] German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the War of 1812, and voted against the declaration of war.[2] In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of Hamilton College.[3] He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819.[1] He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.[1]
Supporting DeWitt Clinton's Erie Canal project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed State Commissioner of Public Works in 1817. German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party and was chosen to serve as Speaker.[2] Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized.[1]
He died on September 24, 1842 in Norwich, New York.[1] He was buried at North Norwich Cemetery in North Norwich, New York.[1]
Family
Obadiah German was married twice. He had five children with his first wife, Mary Ann Lewis, known as Ann, who died in 1829.
After the death of his first wife he married Mary Ann Knight, a woman much younger than he. They had three children, and 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 estate, worth $70,000 (about $1.7 million in 2014). She took up residence in Syracuse, and became a public charge, her efforts at earning a living through painting and "fancy work" having failed. Her claim to be the widow of Sen. German was not believed in Syracuse until it was confirmed after her death "in a state of great destitution," according to the Syracuse Journal.[4]
Legacy
The town of German, New York is named after him.[5]
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.[6] Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 2005. p. 1112. ISBN 978-0-1607-3176-1 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Johnson, Willis Fletcher; Smith, Ray B. (1922). Political and Governmental History of the State of New York. Vol. I. Syracuse, NY: The Syracuse Press. p. 415 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hamilton College (December 1, 1917). "Minutes of the First Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College". Hamilton Literary Magazine. Utica, NY: L. C. Childs & Son. p. 90 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Death of the Widow of a Former U.S. Senator". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. Syracuse Journal. p. 8 – via GenealogyBank.com.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 136.
- ^ a b "Senators Not Represented in Senate Historical Office Photo Collection".
Sources
Internet
- US Senate Photo Historian. "Senators Not Represented in Senate Historical Office Photo Collection". Senate.gov. Washington, DC: Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
External links
Further reading
- United States Congress. "Obadiah German (id: G000136)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 63, 172, 177f, 180ff, 194, 275 and 359; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
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