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Dewitt
Clinton
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Candidate for President of the United States in 1812
| Born: |
1769
Charleston, South Carolina
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| Occupation: |
Lawyer
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| Married |
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| Died: |
1828
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Dewitt Clinton will best be remembered as the New York governor who promoted the building of the Erie Canal. He was also a candidate for President of the United States in 1812.
He was born in Little Britain New York on March 2 1769. His father, James Clinton, served as a general during the Revolution. His Uncle George Clinton was also general during the Revolution, a friend of George Washington, and Vice President of The United States during President Jefferson’s second term, and President Madison’s first term.. Dewitt Clinton attended Princeton until he was admitted to Columbia College, now known as Columbia University in New York City. He was a member of the Columbia’s first class to graduate following the Revolution. When he was studying law his uncle George, then the governor of New York, was directing the state legislature during debates on ratification of the proposed federal constitution. After he passed the bar he began working as a secretary for his uncle George.
Dewitt Clinton served in the New York state legislature from 1797 until his election to the US senate in 1802. As a senator he introduced the Twelfth amendment to the Constitution which ended the Electoral College question of “ballots for president or vice president?” which had caused so much confusion and debate during the election of 1800. He resigned from the Senate after serving less than two years when he was elected mayor of New York City in 1803 . As mayor he promoted a public school system for the city, city planning, plans to provide relief and aid to the poor, and reforms for the criminal justice system. Dewitt Clinton was elected lieutenant governor in 1811 and served until 1813. In 1810 he was appointed to the Canal Commission and was a leading advocate for the building of a canal to lake Erie canal. He returned to the mayors office after his term as lieutenant governor and served until 1815.
As the election of 1812 drew near the major issue was the fighting between France, now led by Napoleon, and Britain. Which side should we support, or should we stay neutral? The Federalist argued that Jefferson’s attempt to maintain the peace with the “Embargo” had hurt New England merchants. They also pointed out that the French had beheaded our ally King Louis XVI, who had sent us aid during our fight for independence. Even the family of America’s most beloved Frenchman, the Marquis De Lafayette, had not been spared the wrath of the French Revolution’s vengeful mobs. But the British had been forcing American ships to stop and surrender any sailors that the British claimed to be “In Service to the King”. In the Senate the “War Hawks” which included Kentucky’s Henry Clay and South Carolina’s John C. Calhoun called for a war against the British. The “War Hawks” wanted to defeat the British at Montreal and Quebec and force them to cede their remaining North American territory to the United States. Another fact to consider, it was the Frenchman Napoleon Bonaparte who sold the Louisiana territory to the United States.
The Republicans in Congress met for a caucus and nominated Madison for reelection as President and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts for Vice President. However, some Republicans in New York state refused to endorse Madison and instead nominated Mayor Dewitt Clinton of New York City as their candidate for president. The Federalist, who had just lost three consecutive elections, threw their support behind candidate Clinton. The candidate for Vice President was Federalist Jared Ingersoll who had served as Pennsylvania’s representative during the constitutional Convention.
Clinton thought he now had a chance to win the presidency with his coalition of Federalist and anti-Madison Republicans. Clinton was presented as the Peace Candidate, but he didn’t want to appear weak or appeasing when it came to dealing with the British. He gave anti-war speeches in places where he knew people opposed the war, but he also gave anti British speeches and called for a vigorous prosecution of the War in areas where he knew war against Britain was popular. Former Federalist President John Adams was so offended by his party’s two sided campaign he ran a “Madison for President” office in Quincy Massachusetts. Clinton only carried eight states for 89 electoral votes. Madison easily won with 128 electoral votes.
In 1816 Clinton ran for governor of New York and continued to promoted the building of a canal to lake Erie during his campaign. The idea of a waterway to connect Lake Erie and Lake Ontario was first proposed by a French engineer in 1699. When the idea was presented to President Jefferson he said, “It is a splendid project. It may be executed a century hence”. The “Bonus Bill” was passed by Congress and would have provided federal funding for the building of the canal, but it was vetoed by President Madison. Clinton however managed to get enough financial support in New York state and construction began on July 4th 1917 in Utica. Critics called it “Clinton’s ditch”, and “Clinton’s folly”.
In 1822 Clinton lost his bid for reelection and was removed from the Canal board by his political opponents. Two years later he was again elected governor and presided over the opening of the canal in 1825. After eight years of hard labor a canal 40 feet wide at the top and 28 feed wide at the bottom, with a uniform depth of 4 feet stretched 363 miles. He took a trip on the Seneca chief from Buffalo to New York City. To commemorate the joining of the waters Governor Clinton poured a keg of Lake Erie water into New York Harbor. The new canal meant that farmers settling in Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio could have goods shipped to them on the canal boats, and then the same boats could carry produce from the farms back to markets in the east. The canal made New York City America’s major port. It easily earned enough money in the first year to more than cover the cost of construction.
Governor Dewitt Clinton died in office on February 11th 1828. His posthumous honors include a train named The Dewitt Clinton which was the first New York state railroad for the Mowhak & Hudson, which later became part of New York Central, his picture was placed on the $1000 bill from 1869 to 1880, and today there is a Dewitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York City. As for the canal it has been replaced by railroads and highways and no longer serves as a means of freight transportation.
Dewitt Clinton probably wanted to campaign on domestic issues and the promotion of western settlements, but the War was the main issue which could not be ignored. At the time, of course, he could not foresee that his opponent would one day be “canonized” as “The Father of the Constitution” or that the War of 1812 would be referred to by some as “America’s second war for independence” and would spawn our National Anthem. He may not have been President but his contribution to the Erie Canal was a major step in helping build American trade and business during our nations westward expansion.
Dewitt Clinton, http://ph.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0812581.html
Boller, Paul F. Presidential Campaigns. Oxford University Press, New York Oxford. 1996
THE WAR OF 1812 Extracted from AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY ARMY HISTORICAL SERIES OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/amh/amh-06.htm
McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon and Shuster, New York 2001
The Erie Canal and Dewitt Clinton http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/transport/erie.html
1000 Dollar United States Notes. http://www.currencygallery.org/large/llt1000.htm#1869
The Dewitt Clinton http://www.multied.com/railroad/Dewitt.html
Erie Canal. Encarta http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761568663
Encyclopedia of American History. Harper & Row. New York, San Francisco 1976
Garraty, John A. 1,001THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY. Doubleday, New York 1989.
Dewitt Clinton High School. 100 West Mosholu Parkway, Bronx New York
http://www.dwchs.org/1_homepage_set.htm
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Copyright
© 2002 The Junto Society - All rights
reserved. Permission to reprint granted
provided a link to this site [http://www.juntosociety.com]
is plainly accompanying the article.
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