Obadiah German
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Obadiah German (April 22, 1766 Amenia, Dutchess County, New York - September 24, 1842 Norwich, Chenango County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician.
[edit] Life
He was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1798, 1804, 1805, and from 1807 to 1809. He was a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party.
He was elected to the United States Senate in 1808, and served from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1815. 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. In 1812 German was one of the founding trustees of Hamilton College. After leaving the Senate, he was judge of Chenango County from 1815 to 1819. He was also a militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.
Supporting DeWitt Clinton's canal project, German also took part in the construction of the Erie Canal after being appointed State Commissioner of Public Works in 1817. German returned to the Assembly in 1819, and served as Speaker. After leaving the Assembly, he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized.
He was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in North Norwich, New York.
The town of German, New York is named after him.
[edit] Sources
- Obadiah German at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- [1] Political Graveyard
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel L. Mitchill |
United States Senator (Class 1) from New York 1809–1815 Served alongside: John Smith, Rufus King |
Succeeded by Nathan Sanford |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by David Woods |
Speaker of the New York State Assembly 1819 |
Succeeded by John Canfield Spencer |
|
||||||||||