Obadiah German
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Obadiah German (April 22, 1766Template:Spaced ndashSeptember 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
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
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]
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- 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.[5] The couple had two sons. Mary Ann moved to Syracuse with their sons when they were young, while Obadiah continued to live in Norwich.[5]
Widow
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
The town of German, New York, is named after him.[11]
Attempts to locate portrait
German is one of approximately 50 former senators for whom the U.S. Senate's photo historian has no likeness on file.Template:Sfn Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.Template:Sfn
References
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Sources
Internet
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External links
Further reading
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 63, 172, 177f, 180ff, 194, 275 and 359; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- Pages with script errors
- United States senators from New York (state)
- 1766 births
- 1842 deaths
- Speakers of the New York State Assembly
- People from Amenia, New York
- People from Norwich, New York
- New York state court judges
- New York (state) Democratic-Republicans
- Democratic-Republican Party United States senators
- 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature
- 19th-century United States senators
- 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature