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DeWitt Clinton

DeWitt Clinton
Artist
John Wesley Jarvis, 1780 - 14 Jan 1840
Sitter
DeWitt Clinton, 2 Mar 1769 - 11 Feb 1828
Date
c. 1816
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 122.9 x 92.7 x 2.5cm (48 3/8 x 36 1/2 x 1")
Frame: 147 x 116.2 x 11.4cm (57 7/8 x 45 3/4 x 4 1/2")
Topic
Interior
Printed Material\Book
Printed Material\Document
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair\Armchair
Printed Material\Papers
DeWitt Clinton: Male
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\State Legislator\New York
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\US Senator\New York
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York
DeWitt Clinton: Science and Technology\Scientist\Naturalist
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\Public official\Mayor\New York, NY
DeWitt Clinton: Politics and Government\Lieutenant Governor\New York
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, 1942
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.65.53
Exhibition Label
Born Little Britain, New York
A master politician, DeWitt Clinton was the driving force behind the construction of the Erie Canal. Following the second of his three terms as mayor of New York City (1803–07; 1808–10; 1811–15), Clinton was appointed to the Erie Canal Commission, which developed an ambitious plan for linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. When expected federal financing did not materialize, he helped convince the state legislature to appropriate $7 million for construction.
Just days after beginning his first term as governor of New York (1817–23), Clinton presided over the groundbreaking ceremony at Rome, New York, on July 4, 1817. He returned to office for his second gubernatorial term (1825–28) in time to celebrate the canal’s completion. Once mocked as “Clinton’s Ditch,” the canal was an immediate financial and popular success, fueling the growth and prosperity of New York and the Northwest Territory.
Nacido en Little Britain, Nueva York
Político avezado, DeWitt Clinton fue la fuerza motriz en la construcción del Canal de Erie. Tras el segundo de sus tres períodos como alcalde de Nueva York (1803–07; 1808–10; 1811–15), fue nombrado miembro de la Comisión del Canal de Erie, la cual desarrolló un ambicioso plan para conectar los Grandes Lagos con el río Hudson. Cuando no llegaron los esperados fondos federales, Clinton ayudó a convencer a las legislaturas estatales de asignar $7 millones para la construcción.
Apenas comenzado su primer término como gobernador del estado (1817-23), Clinton presidió la inauguración del proyecto en Rome, Nueva York, el 4 de julio de 1817. Su segundo término (1825–28) comenzó justo a tiempo para celebrar la terminación del canal. Apodado antes con desprecio “la zanja de Clinton”, el canal fue un inmediato éxito económico y popular que aceleró el crecimiento y la prosperidad de Nueva York y el Territorio Noroeste.
Provenance
Jacob Jennings Brown; Mrs. William E. Everitt, his granddaughter; her niece, Mrs. W. E. Verplanck; Mrs. V. V. Bleecker [Mrs. Thomas Bache Bleecker], her daughter; purchased by(Russell Thorpe); purchased by (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); purchased 1936 by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh; gift to NGA; transferred 1965 to NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 132