
Daniel D. Tompkins (21 June 1774-11 June 1825) was the Democratic-Republican Governor of New York from 1 July 1807 to 24 February 1817 (succeeding Morgan Lewis and preceding John Tayler) and Vice President of the United States from 4 March 1817 to 4 March 1825 (succeeding Elbridge Gerry and preceding John C. Calhoun).
Biography[]
Daniel D. Tompkins was born in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York in 1774, and he practiced law in New York City before serving as a delegate to the 1801 New York constitutional convention, as a justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1804 to 1807, and as Governor from 1807 to 1817, serving for the duration of the War of 1812. He was supported by DeWitt Clinton in his run for office, but he later broke with Clinton by supporting James Madison over Clinton in the 1808 presidential election. He reorganized the state militia during the war with Britain, and he commanded the federal military district which included New York City during wartime. In 1816, he was considered as a potential Democratic-Republican presidential candidate before being chosen as James Monroe's running mate, and he served as Vice President from 1817 to 1825. He suffered from poor health and finances (having personally financed New York's war effort during the War of 1812) and from alcoholism, and he died 99 days after leaving office in 1825.