The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-05

Families That Once Ruled New York -
~ by Inherited Right.

/ iyitt. NHfth tfNF
men who have held State and prominent
county Offices since the early Colonial
DAVIS. II is noticeable in this list that at
the beginning Of the century MN heIu
oeiccs for a series OF years much more
generally than they do now, and that
.ha same family names are often re-
heated In modern times General Hus-
ted had a high record for ofiice-holding
M TO the time OF his death. He occu-
MES nine lines I'm the index TO the "CiVH
IIst." 1t takes four lines to give the
dates Of his successive terms In the AS
sembly, and his holding Of the speaker
ship. Besides this. he was harbor mas
ter, school commissioner. Commissioners
| of emigration, an officer in the militia,
/ and a member of many other commits
sions.
The record is now upheld by DR.. Chaun-
| cey NJ. Depew and Judge Robertson,
Familiarity known as the "Bandy-legged
bismarck Of Katonah." All Of these
men. General Hustled. DR.. Depew and
Judge Robertson. came from the same
| assembly district in Winchester county
They sustain the ofice-holding reputation
OF the county which has stood In this
respect above any other county OF the
state since the days Of the Jays aud
| the o~fnce-holdlng Morrises. DR.. Depew
mas Dtfu doHfllblg man. oN~+~N'|
| state. county clerk, capitol commissioner
commissioner Of emigration. boundary
commissioner and regent. Judge Robert
son has been a~ssemblyman. county judge,
elector. congressman, President pro TEN.
Of the Senate, State senator for q number
Of years. and collector OF the port OF
New York.
These are long records Of offlce-holding.
hut they do not begin to compare with
g. e H. -. LgfIfD- 4. r,fffoc ~ tho
early part Of the century. In comparison
with the ~ofice-holding record Of some
members OF the old families, like the
Jays. Livingstons, De Lanceys. Clintons'
Nlcolls. Schuylers and Hamiitons' the
records OF General Hustled, DR.. Depew
and Judge Robertson sink into insig-
~nihcance, and there IS no active politi-
clan In the State to-day whose record
approaches them.
The politics Of the state IN the earlier
laws were I'm the hands Of a few families.
who distributed the offices among them
selves. and kept them until the exten-
sion Of the suffrage brought about more
popular movements IN politics AID a sys-
tenn Of rotation. which took the place
Of continuous o%fice-holding by the same
man.
De Witt Clinton was Assemblyman,
Senator. member of the old Council Of
Appointment. member OF the Constitu-
tional Convention OF 1901. the fourth Sec
rotary Of the Regents Of the University.
Mayor OF New York, Regent. Colonial
Commissioner. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Gov
ernor and candidate for President against
James Madison. George Clinton was
county clerk and surrogate. member OF
the Colonial Assembly. member OF the
committee Of correspondence appointed
before the Declaration Of Independence,
member OF the Provincial Congress. depu-
" Of the Provincial Convention, member
Of the Continental Congress. OF the Con-
vention OF 17SS. Chancellor. Governor. and
twice Vice-President. James Clinton was
mtmter cf the Provincial Congress. Re-
gent, Boundary Commissioner. Assembly,
n an, member Of the Convention Of i7SS.
Sci 9tor. member Of the Convention of
1901. The name Of Clintcn fills almost a
whole column I'm tss index Of names. and
aIT6ars recently I'm the name Of George
w. Clinton. of BIfal0. who was Mayor,
United States Attorney. Judge OF the
SUI erior Court at Buffalo. member Of
the Convention Of 1867. Regent and Vice
Ctspcellor. James c. Clinton, also Of
Ulster county, like The ORIGINAL James
Clinton. was a member Of Congress in the
fortiCs.
This ~oficc-holding record Of the Clinton
family is surpassed by the Livingston
family, who take up almost two columns
I'm the Civil List. The Livingston family
were mere numerous than the Clinton
family. and belonged 20 the gentry who
lived on the east bank Of the Hudson.
In Dutchess and Columbia counties. while
the Clintons, a newer and poorer fan fly.
lived in New York. Long Island and on
the west bank Of the Hudson.
~ 4 s-g,-~tl.a lrTV 90 --..~ $3.50.
Der OF offices. In their days mayors,
county clerks. sherins and other Offices.
now elected by the voters Of a State or
! county. were appointed by State boards.
Through their relatives and connections
in high State offices the young members
of the family were appointed to impor-
tant local offices. following the English
custom under which the head Of a politi-
cal government provides places in the
public service for the family cadets.
The leading members Of the great Liv-
ingston family were Philip and Robert r.
Livingston. They were often in Office at
the same time. and had a pocket borough,
Livingston Manor. which could select
them for elective office as often as they
wished. Philip Livingston was County
Clerk. Commissioner Of indian Affairs,
Councillor. member OF the Colonial AS
sembly, Speaker, member OF the Colonial
Congress. Register. President Of the Pro-
vincial Convention, member Of the Com
mittee of one Hundred, Of the Provincial
Congress-. member Of the Continental Con-
gress, the Convention OF 17SS, the new
Assembly, and one of the earliest Sena-
tors from the Southern district. where he
served with John Vanderbilt, James
Duane. Ezra L'Hommedieu, Lewis Nor
ris and other w~ell-known men.
Robert r. Livingston. also Of Livingston
Manor. was member Of the Colonial AS
sembly. Of the Committee on Correspond
enee. Of the Colonial Conference. the
Boundary Commission. the Colonial Court.
the Provincial Convention. the Provincial
Congress, the Council Of Safety, the Con-
tinental Congress. a Commissioner 10 the
United States constitutional Convention.
which he did not attend. Boundary Com
missioner again, Chancellor. member of
and Canal Commissioner.
Not much attention was paid TO the Fed
eral Offices In those days. and a man
would as lief be mayor OF New York as
senator of the United States, while many
Of the State Offices were preferred TO
memberships in the Continental Congress.
Little attention was paid by the members
of these great families 10 the com mission
for the General Convention OF the United
States Co stitution I'm 1856. The two Liv-
ingstons, James Duane and Leonard Can
sevoCTt, who were Ill members, did not
take the trouble 10 attend. and Nnly
Alexander Hamilton and Egbert Benson
went to Annapolis. II seemed in New
York TO BE- regarded a greater honor 10
be a member OF he convention which