Obadiah German

Obadiah German (April 22, 1766 Amenia, Dutchess County, New York - September 24, 1842 Norwich, Chenango County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician.

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 1798-99, from 1804 to 1805, from 1807 to 1809.

In 1809, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York, 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. He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819. He was also a State 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, as a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party, was chosen Speaker. Afterwards 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.

Sources

• Obadiah German at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• [1] Political Graveyard
• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 63, 172, 177f, 180ff, 194, 275 and 359; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

v • d • e United States Senators from New York Class 1 Schuyler • Burr • Schuyler • Hobart • North • Watson • Morris • Bailey • Armstrong • Mitchill • German • Sanford • Van Buren • Dudley • Tallmadge • Dickinson • Fish • P. King • Morgan • Fenton • Kernan • Platt • Miller • Hiscock • Murphy • Depew • O'Gorman • Calder • Copeland • Mead • Ives • Keating • Kennedy • Goodell • Buckley • Moynihan • H. Clinton • Gillibrand Class 3 R. King • Laurance • Armstrong • D. Clinton • Armstrong • Smith • R. King • Sanford • Marcy • Wright • Foster • Dix • Seward • Harris • Conkling • Lapham • Evarts • Hill • Platt • Root • Wadsworth • Wagner • Dulles • Lehman • Javits • D'Amato • Schumer