William Livingston (30 November 1723 – 25 July 1790) was the Governor of New Jersey from 31 August 1776 to 25 July 1790, succeeding William Franklin and preceding Elisha Lawrence.
Biography[]
William Livingston was born on 30 November 1723 in Albany, New York. He enrolled at Yale College in 1738 and graduated in 1741, and he was admitted to the bar in 1748 in New York City. In 1770, he moved to Elizabeth in New Jersey and built a large country home for his family, attaining considerable influence among local patriots and serving as a delegate from New Jersey to the Continental Congress. In October 1775, he was commissioned a Brigadier-General of the New Jersey Militia during the American Revolutionary War, and in August 1776 he was elected Governor of New Jersey after the United States declaration of independence. He was re-elected until his death in office in 1790, having been one of the signers of the US Constitution. The town of Livingston, New Jersey is named for him.