LIVINGSTON, ROBERT R.
\lˈɪvɪŋstən], \lˈɪvɪŋstən], \l_ˈɪ_v_ɪ_ŋ_s_t_ə_n]\
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(1746-1813), graduated at King's (now Columbia) College and became a lawyer, member of the New York Assembly, and delegate to the Continental Congress. He served on the committee of five which drafted the Declaration of Independence. He was Secretary for Foreign Affairs in 1781-1783, and was a prominent Federalist in the ratifying convention at Poughkeepsie in 1788. Meanwhile from 1777 to 1801 he was Chancellor of the State of New York, and in this position he administered the oath of office to Washington in 1789. While U.S. Minister to France in 1801-1805 he helped to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. He is remembered also for his connection with many societies in New York City, and his association with Fulton in the beginnings of steamboat navigation.
By John Franklin Jameson
Word of the day
Snake's-head
- Guinea-hen flower; -- so called in England because its spotted petals resemble the scales of a snake's head.