The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-23
OLD PoI1r1oAL DrNAsr1Ea
Families That Onoo Ruled New York ss n
by Jnherited Right

| by hnnortco Might
Every few years the state publishes large
green hook, known as the Civil List" which
gives tho names OF all tho men who have held
state ami prominent county Offices since tho
early colonial days. 1t Is noticeable In this list
that at the beginning of tho century mon held
Offices for series OF years. much moro gem
| orally than they do now. and that the same
| family names are often repeated. In modern
| times Gen. Hustled had high record for of1lce
holding up to the time OF his death. He occu-
| pies nine lines in the index TO tho Civil List"
1t takes four lines t. give tho dates OF his sue
cessive terms in the Assembly and his holding
Of the Speakership Besides this. he was Har-
Dor Master. School Com m lssioner. Commits
sioner Of Emigration. an officer in tho militia.
and member Of many other Commissions.
The record is now upheld by DR.. Chauncey
NJ. Depew and Judge Robertson. familiarly
known as the Dandy legged Bismarck Of
Katonah." All Of these men, Gen. Husted.
Dr. Depew and Judge Robertson. came from
the Same Assembly district In Westchester
county. They sustain the oflooholding rep
utation OF tho county which has stood in this
respect above any other county OF the State
since the days OF the Jays and tho offlcehold-
ing Morrises. DIR. Dspew has been Assem-
blyman. Secretary OF State. County Clerk,
Capitol Commissioner Commissioner OF En-
iRration Boundary Commissioner. and Regent.
Judge Robertson has been Assem- blyman.
County Judge. Elector. Congressman. Presi-
dent pro tenn Of the Senate. State Senator for q
number Of years. and Collector OF the Port OF
New York.
These are long records OF offlcehoding. but
they do not begin to compare with those OF
the oflceholding families OF tho early part OF
the century. In comparison with tho office
holding record OF some members OF tho old
families. like the Jays. Livingstons. De Lam
ceys. Clintons. Nicols. Schuyl ers. and Hamil-
tons. the records OF Gen. Hustled. DR.. Dcpew,
and Judge Robertson sink into insignifcance.
and there is no active politician in the State
to-day whose record approaches them.
Tho politics OF the State in the earlier days
were in the hands Of few families. who dis
trlbuted the offices among themselves. and
kept them until the extension OF the suf-
fraGe brought about moro popular movements
In politics and systom OF rotation which took
the place OF continuous officeholding BY the
same man.
De Witt Clinton was Assemblyman. Senator.
member Of the old Council OF appointment
member Of tho Constitutional Convention OF
1901. the fourth Secretary of the Regents OF
the University. Mayor Of New York. Regent,
Colonial Commissioner Lieutenant G Governor,
Governor. and candidate for President against
James Madison. George Clinton was County
Clerk AMI Surrogate member OF tho Colonial
Assembly member Of the Committee OF Cor
respondcnce appointed before the Declaration
Of Independence member OF the Provincial
Congress. deputy OF the Provincial Con-
vention. momber OF tho Continental Con-
gross. OF the Convention Of 1888 Chan
cellor. Governor. and twice Nice-P resi-
dent. James Clinton was member OF
tho Provincial Congress. Regent. Boundary
Com missioner. Assemblyman. member of the
Convention Of 1873. Senator. member Of the
Convention OF 1901. The name OF Clinton fills
almost whole column in tho index of names
and appears recently in the name OF George
". Clinton Of Buffalo. who was Mayor. United
States Attorney. Judge Of the Superior Court
at Buffalo. mem Der Of the Convention Of 1867.
Regent, and Vice Chancellor. james G. Clin-
ton. also OF Ulster county. like the original
James Clinton, was member of Congress in
>, This orlceholding record Of the Clinton
family Is surpassed by the Livingston family,
List; Tho Livingston family was more numer-
GUS than the Clinton family. ind belonged to
Hudson. in Duchess and Columbia Counties.
T vss n inc Snr 9nd family
Tho LiYingstons held an enormous number
Of Offices In their days Mayors. County Clerks.
State Boards Through their relatives and
members Of the family. were appointed to i'm
eSstam nnd.r Mheh the E1Ts
vice for the family cadets.
., The leading n e! bers Of the great Livingston
They were often in Office at the same time and
had a pocket borough. livingston Manor.
often as they wished. Philip Livingston was
County Clerk, Commissioner Of Indian Affairs.
SS0nncior member 81 the CoonaI Assembly
Register. President Of the PROVINCIAL Conyen-
ton; memter Of the Committee OF One Hun:
the Continenta al Congress. the Convention OF
1873. the new Assembly. and one Of the earliest
eerved with John Vanderbilt. James Duane.
Ezra, LHommedeu. Lewis Morris, and other
Robert H. livingston, also OF Livingston
Manor. was member of the Colonial Assembly.
Of tho Committee on CORRESPONDENCE. OF the
sion, the Colonial Court. the Provincial Con-
vention. the Provincial Congress- the Council
sioner to the United States Constit utionai Con-
yentlon. which he did not attend. Boundary
Gs 81 Mnstsr to
Not much attention was paid to the Federal
be Mayor Of New York as Senator Of the United
States. while many of the state offices were
Congress-. Little attention was paid by the
mem bers Of these grent families to the Com
mission for the General Convention OF the
United states Constitution in 1856. The two
Livingstone. James Duane. and Leonard
GansevooIt who were all members. did not
take the trouble to attend. and only Alexander
lis. 1t seemed In New York to be regarded q |
greater honor to be a member OF the Convcn-
ton which drew up the Constitution OF tho |
State than to be chosen 10 the Convention |
which draw up the Constitution OF the Union. |
Alexnndsr Hamilton was the only delegate |
from New York who signed the new Federal |
Constitution. The great political families OF the
State were genera ly opposed to giving any OF
the powers of a State to n Federal Govern |
ment. tNey were opposed to tho Constitution |
OF the United States. except so far as the jeal |
ousies between the great families usually |
from tho immortal families like the Living |
stons. and the still older Van tsnssslaers. |
After n long delay the United states Constitu- |
tion was adopted by the State by vote o. 30 to |
~. seven mem bers of tho Convention not vot- |
ing. Before that time the State had its own |