Vice Presidents - # 4 – George Clinton

Grave of George Clinton (21 June 2021)

Served under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

4 March 1805 – 20 April 1812 (died in office)

Preceded by # 3 – Aaron Burr

Succeeded by # 5 – Elbridge Gerry

Born – 26 July 1739

Died – 20 April 1812 (age 72)

Buried – Old Dutch Churchyard, Kingston, NY

Date Visited – 21 June 2021

This will be the format for future Vice President posts. Links to the associated presidents will take you to my grave stories of the Chief Executive and other VP’s…if I have already presented them

I know.

I introduced our nation’s vice presidents’ graves in 2019 because the Supreme Court was deliberating a gerrymandering case and Elbridge Gerry (# 5) was nearby in Washington, D.C. I decided then that this was not going to be a serious quest.

But there I was in New York. The land of my birth. A powerhouse among the original thirteen states. A state that has given us seven presidents and ten vice presidents. So, if I’m in an area of the state that has a grave, I should stop and pay my respects. A recent drive up the Hudson River valley allowed me to visit two of our vice presidents.

George Clinton

Official portrait of the Governor of New York

Taken in the Albany capitol (5 April 2013)

George Clinton was more of a ‘Second Team’ Founding Father after Washington, Jefferson and the rest of the cast of ‘1776.’ Clinton was the first governor of the State of New York after the colonies declared independence from Britain. At the same time, he served as a general under Washington in the Revolution. He did his part by confiscating and selling Tory properties to fund the cause and keep taxes low for the rest of the citizens.

Old Dutch Church, Kingston, NY (21 June 2021)

Built in 1852, the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, NY is the fifth building to occupy the site that has been the home of the congregation since 1659. Kingston was the New York State capital when Clinton became the first governor in 1777. During his tenure, New York City briefly was the nation’s capital.

Graves of Revolutionary War Veterans

Old Dutch Church, Kingston, NY (21 June 2021)

During those early formative years of our nation, as the Founding Fathers hammered out the Constitution, a group of them objected that too much power was centralized in the federal government. Clinton was among the ‘Anti-federalist’ leaders who fought for the addition of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments that guarantee more state and individual liberties.

After seven terms and over 21 years in office, he was the longest serving governor of any state until Iowa’s Terry Branstad surpassed him in 2015.

Clinton was one of two vice presidents who worked for two presidents. He served in Jefferson’s second term and Madison’s first. John C. Calhoun did the same with Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. I doubt we’ll ever see that again.

Clinton was the first vice president to die and he did so while in office. Originally buried in Washington, D.C., he was moved to Kingston in 1908.

Medallion on Grave of George Clinton,

Old Dutch Church, Kingston, NY (21 June 2021)

When he wasn’t governing, fighting for independence and nation-building, George Clinton formed Parliament Funkadelic and was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Not That George Clinton

(From Google Images)

Across the Hudson River from Kingston is the town of Rhinebeck where you can find VP # 22, Levi Morton. We will showcase him soon.