Obadiah German

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Obadiah German
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
In office
January 6, 1819 – June 30, 1819
Preceded byDavid Woods
Succeeded byJohn C. Spencer
United States Senator
from New York
In office
March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1815
Preceded bySamuel L. Mitchill
Succeeded byNathan Sanford
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
1798
1804-1805
1807-1809
1819
Personal details
Born(1766-04-22)April 22, 1766
Amenia, New York
DiedSeptember 24, 1842(1842-09-24) (aged 76)
Norwich, Chenango County, New York
Resting placeNorth Norwich Cemetery, North Norwich, New York
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Whig
Spouse(s)Mary Ann Lewis (d. 1829)
Mary Ann Knight (d. 1861)

Obadiah German (April 22, 1766 – September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from New York (1809-1815) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1819.

Life[edit]

He was born on April 22, 1766, in Amenia, New York.[1] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.[1] A Democratic-Republican, he was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809.[1]

In 1809, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York.[1] He served one term, March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1815, and was not a candidate for reelection.[1] German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the War of 1812, and voted against the declaration of war.[2] In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of Hamilton College.[3] He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819.[1] He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.[1]

Supporting DeWitt Clinton's Erie Canal project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed to the state Public Works Commission in 1817.[4] German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party and was chosen to serve as Speaker.[2] Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized.[1]

He died on September 24, 1842, in Norwich, New York.[1] He was buried at North Norwich Cemetery in North Norwich, New York.[1]

Family[edit]

German had seven children with his first wife, Mary Ann Lewis, known as Ann, who died in 1829.[5]

Lewis German (d. 1819) was a lieutenant in the United States Navy and a veteran of the War of 1812.[6]
Morris[citation needed]
Sutherland[citation needed]
Albert was an innkeeper in Norwich before moving to Ohio.[5]
Walter, who succeeded his father in the family's Norwich mercantile business.[5] He served as a militia captain during the War of 1812[7] and became insolvent after his business failed in 1820.[8]
Julia, who was the wife of Stephen Anderson of Norwich, and later resided in Wisconsin.[5]
Maria (d. 1876), who was the wife of Reverend George Harmon and resided in Wisconsin and Ohio.[9]

After the death of his first wife he married Mary Ann Knight, a woman much younger than he.[5] They had two children, Frederick and George.[citation needed] By some accounts the marriage was not a happy one, with Mary Ann Knight and the children living in Syracuse while Obadiah German continued to reside in Norwich.

Widow[edit]

Obadiah German's widow Mary Ann Knight claimed to have been defrauded by her brother (some accounts say German's brother) of German's $70,000 estate (about $1.7 million in 2014).[10] She took up residence in Syracuse and became a public charge after being found "in a state of great destitution", her efforts at earning a living through painting and "fancy work" having failed.[10] Her claim to be German's widow was not believed in Syracuse until it was confirmed after her death.[10]

Legacy[edit]

The town of German, New York, is named after him.[11]

Attempts to locate portrait[edit]

German is one of approximately 50 former senators for whom the U.S. Senate's photo historian has no likeness on file.[12] Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 2005. p. 1112. ISBN 978-0-1607-3176-1 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Willis Fletcher; Smith, Ray B. (1922). Political and Governmental History of the State of New York. Vol. I. Syracuse, NY: The Syracuse Press. p. 415 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Hamilton College (December 1, 1917). "Minutes of the First Meeting of the Trustees of Hamilton College". Hamilton Literary Magazine. Utica, NY: L. C. Childs & Son. p. 90 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Werner, Edgar A. (1888). Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York (2 ed.). Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons & Co. p. 182 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b c d e Smith, James H. (1880). History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York. Vol. II. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co. p. 407 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Died: Lieut. Lewis German". Long-Island Star. Brooklyn, NY. April 28, 1819. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Notice of Benjamin Loomis of Atlas, Michigan". Morning Express. Buffalo, NY. April 27, 1855. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Insolvents Advertising for the Benefit of the Act in this State". The Evening Post. New York, NY. May 27, 1820. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Methodist Episcopal Church (1876). "Memorial: Mrs. Maria Harmon". Minutes of the Ninth Session of the Annual New York Conference. Ithaca, NY: Andrus, McChain & Co. p. 74 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b c "Death of the Widow of a Former U.S. Senator". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. Syracuse Journal. p. 8 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  11. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 136.
  12. ^ a b "Senators Not Represented in Senate Historical Office Photo Collection".

Sources[edit]

Internet[edit]

External links[edit]

Further reading[edit]

U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from New York
1809–1815
Served alongside: John Smith, Rufus King 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the New York State Assembly
1819 		Succeeded by
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