DeWitt
Clinton - "Father of the Erie Canal"
As a successful New York lawyer and public official, DeWitt Clinton was born on March 2, 1769, in Little Britain, New York. He was the son of an Irish-American Revolutionary War hero and a Dutch mother. Clinton went to grammar school and for two years he attended Kingston Academy. It was the best school in New York at the time. Clinton attended Columbia College and graduated at the head of his class in 1786.
As a successful New York lawyer and public official, DeWitt Clinton was born on March 2, 1769, in Little Britain, New York. He was the son of an Irish-American Revolutionary War hero and a Dutch mother. Clinton went to grammar school and for two years he attended Kingston Academy. It was the best school in New York at the time. Clinton attended Columbia College and graduated at the head of his class in 1786.
He studied law for three years and passed the bar exam, in 1790. The same year, Clinton became a secretary to New York State governor, George Clinton, his uncle. During his five years in the position, DeWitt received a lot of experience and decided to have a similar political career, like his uncle.
