Philip Livingston

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Philip Livingston

Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778), was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1778, and signed the Declaration of Independence.

He was born in Albany, New York into the prominent Livingston family. His grandfather, who had immigrated to New York and controlled the large grant called Livingston Manor, was known as Robert, 1st Lord of the Manor. His father, also named Philip was the 2nd Lord of the Manor. This Philip was, however, his fourth son, and thus could not inherit. The wife of the 2nd Lord of the Manor was a daughter of Albany, New York Mayor Pieter Van Brugh.

Philip attended and graduated from Yale College in 1737. He then settled in New York City and pursued a mercantile career. He became prominent as a merchant, and was elected Alderman in 1754. He was reelected to that office each year until 1763. Also in 1754, he went as a delegate to the Albany Congress. There, he joined delegates from several other colonies to negotiate with Indians and discuss common plans for dealing with the French and Indian War. They also developed a Plan of Union for the Colonies which was, however, rejected by King George.

Livingston became an active promoter of efforts to raise and fund troops for the war, and in 1759 was elected to the colony's House of Representatives. He would hold that office until 1769, serving as Speaker in 1768. In October of 1765, he attended the Stamp Act Congress, which produced the first formal protest to the crown as a prelude to the American Revolution. Philip became strongly aligned with the radical block in that Congress. He joined New York's Committee of Correspondence to continue communication with leaders in the other colonies.

When New York established a rebel government in 1775, he was the President of the Provincial Convention. They also selected him as one of their delegates to the Continental Congress that year. In the Congress, he strongly supported separation from Great Britain and in 1776 joined other delegates in the Declaration of Independence.

After the adoption of the new New York State Constitution, he was elected to the state Senate in 1777, while continuing in the national congress. He died suddenly while attending the sixth session of Congress in York, Pennsylvania and is buried in the Prospect Hill Cemetery there. Livingston was a Presbyterian, a Mason, and an original promoter of King's College, which became Columbia University.

His brother was New Jersey Governor William Livingston.

His cousin was New York Congressman Robert R. Livingston the Chancellor.

His wife was Christina Ten Broeck a great-granddaughter of Albany, New York Mayor Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck^[1] whose wife Margarita Cuyler was a niece of Maria Cuyler, the wife of New York City Mayor John Cruger. Mayor Cruger was father of New York CityMayor John Cruger Jr and grandather of Henry Cruger MP and loyalist Colonel John Henry Cruger. Colonel Cruger was a brother in law of Oliver De Lancey (the elder). De Lancy was a grandson of New York Mayor Stephanus Van Cortlandtand an uncle of wife of South Carolina Congressman Ralph Izard. Oliver's elder brother was New York Governor James DeLancey. A brother of Christina was Abraham Ten Broeck^[2] - a Milita Brigadier General of Milita and a Albany, New York Mayor. Abraham Ten Broeck's wife was Elizabeth Van Rensselaer a sister of Stephen Van Renselaer II^[3]. A cousin of Abraham Ten Broeck was Maria Ten Broeck who was the wife of Continental Army General Goose Van Schaick^[4]-who was a son of Albany, New York Mayor Sybrant Van Schaick. Goose Van Schaick's sister was married to Continental Army General Peter Gansevoort-a great-grandnephew of Albany, New York Mayor Pieter Van Burgh.

A daughter, Catherina, married Stephen Van Rennsselaer II; their son, Stephen Van Rensselaer III, married Margarita Schuyler-daughter of General Philip Schuyler-a great nephew of Albany, New York Mayor Pieter Schuyler.

Among his descendants were First lady Eleanor Roosevelt and actress Jane Wyatt.