Background :
Dewitt Clinton Atkins was his full name
He was the second son of James Clinton and Mary Dewitt
Went to Columbia University and studied political science
His uncle George Clinton was the governor of New York at the time and he went to work for him as his secretary at about the age of 18 Background
Political Life :
He became a member of the Democratic Republican Party.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1798.
Also he was a member of the New York State Senate from the Southern District from 1798 to 1802, and 1806 to 1811.
He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1801. He was a member of the Council of Appointments in 1801-1802 and 1806-1807. Political Life
Dewitt Clinton and the Erie Canal :
Dewitt Clinton and the Erie Canal Dewitt Clinton was a member of the Erie Canal Commission from 1810-1824
He was one of the men appointed to choosing the route that the canal would take
After 1816 he became the driving force behind the canal
In april of 1824 he was removed from the Canal Commission
Distance proposed for the canal was 363 miles, longer than had ever been attempted in the United States.
ERIE CANAL cont… :
On July 4, 1817, ground was broken at Utica, New York and construction began simultaneously to the east and west and planned to meet in Albany, New York
The total cost of the project was 7,000,000$
And it took 8 years to build (1817-1824)
Dewitt’s political enemies nicknamed the canal “Clintons Ditch” and Clintons Folly” ERIE CANAL cont…
R.I.P. DEWITT CLINTON :
Dewitt Clinton died in Albany New York on February 11, 1828
And the tolls that were on the Erie Canal were destroyed in 1833 R.I.P. DEWITT CLINTON