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Making Choices Matters: Myth Busting in the Career of Robert R. Livingston
Why is Robert R. Livingston a, so-called, forgotten founder? He participated in some of the most important moments of the Revolution and was at one point specifically targeted by the British Army for it. Yet in innumerable histories of the Revolution you will only find his name on one page, when authors list the Committee… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 4
During a brief respite at Clermont during the height of summer 1775 Livingston wrote to John Jay; “I must confess that after breathing the pure air of the country I dread the idea of a hot room in Philadelphia.”[i] Nevertheless he soon returned to Philadelphia where much of the rest of the year was spent… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 3
In April 1775 Robert Livingston was chosen to represent Dutchess County in New York City at the Provincial Convention. The Convention’s main goal that spring was to choose representatives to the new assemblage recently called for in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress. Livingston was unanimously chosen to represent New York. On April 23, the… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 2
Robert Livingston’s college experience played an important role in the formation of his political beliefs and also for the future of the liberty movement in New York. Like many college students he became politically aware and active during this period. The friends he made at college shaped the very nature of the Revolution in… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 1
Robert R. Livingston’s great-grandfather assured his family would be numbered among New York’s aristocracy through a mixture of hard work, sheer determination and a copious amount of intelligence. The first Robert Livingston, referred to as “the Founder” or “the First Lord”, was the son of a Scottish minister who had been driven to exile in… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Introduction
Many years ago I wrote a book about Robert R. Livingston in the American Revolution as you can tell by the title. When I submitted it for publication not only was it rejected but I was told by one of the reviewers “This author should stop writing.” That stifled my writing for several years. I… →