Jonathan Dayton
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Dayton was an American politician from the U.S. state
of New Jersey
. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution
and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
, and later the U.S. Senate. Dayton was arrested in 1807 for treason
in connection with Aaron Burr's
conspiracy, he was never put on trial, but his national political career never recovered.
) in New Jersey. He was the son of Elias Dayton
, a merchant who was prominent in local politics and had served as a militia officer in the French and Indian War
. He graduated from the local academy, run by Tapping Reeve
and Francis Barber
, where he was classmates with Alexander Hamilton
and Aaron Burr
. He then attended the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University
). He left the College of New Jersey in 1775 to fight in the revolution, though he would later receive an honorary degree in 1776.
Dayton, 15 at the outbreak in 1775, served under his father in the 3rd New Jersey Regiment
as an ensign. By 1777 Dayton had become a lieutenant serving under Washington fighting, at both the battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown
. The Daytons remained with Washington at Valley Forge, and helped push the British from their position in New Jersey into the Safety of New York City.
In October 1780, Dayton along with an uncle were captured by loyalist who held him captive for the winter, released in the coming year. They again served under Dayton's father, Elias Dayton, in the New Jersey Brigade. Now only 19, Dayton was promoted to rank of captain and transferred to the second New Jersey, where he took part in the ensuing Yorktown Campaign fighting at the Battle of Yorktown
.
and Constitutional Convention
( which he was the youngest member of, at the age of 26), he became a prominent Federalist legislator. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from 1786–1787, and again in 1790, and served in the New Jersey Legislative Council
(now the New Jersey Senate
) in 1789.
Dayton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1789, but he did not take his seat until he was elected again in 1791. He served as speaker for the Fourth and Fifth Congress. Like most Federalists, he supported the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton
, and helped organize the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion
. He supported the Louisiana Purchase
and opposed the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801.
Wealthy from his heavy investments in Ohio where the city of Dayton would later be named after him, Dayton lent money to Aaron Burr
becoming involved by association in the "conspiracy" in which Burr was accused of intending to conquer parts of what is now the western United States. (This was never proven.) Dayton was exonerated, but this effectively ended his political career.
After resuming his political career in New Jersey, he died in 1824 in his hometown and was interred in an unmarked grave now under the present St. John's Episcopal Church
in Elizabeth which replaced the original church in 1860.
, was named after Jonathan Dayton. While he never set foot in the area, he was a signatory to the constitution and, at the time the city was established in 1796, he owned (in partnership with Arthur St. Clair
, James Wilkinson
and Israel Ludlow
) 250,000 acres (1,011 km²) in the Great Miami River basin.
in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
, the Dayton
neighborhood of Newark
, New Jersey
, Dayton Street in Madison, Wisconsin
, and Dayton, Ohio
are named in his honor.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, and later the U.S. Senate. Dayton was arrested in 1807 for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
in connection with Aaron Burr's
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
conspiracy, he was never put on trial, but his national political career never recovered.
Early life
Dayton was born in Elizabethtown (now known as ElizabethElizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
) in New Jersey. He was the son of Elias Dayton
Elias Dayton
Elias Dayton was the Mayor of Elizabethtown, New Jersey-Biography:He was born in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey....
, a merchant who was prominent in local politics and had served as a militia officer in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. He graduated from the local academy, run by Tapping Reeve
Tapping Reeve
Tapping Reeve was an American lawyer and law educator. In 1784, he opened the Litchfield Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut, the first school to offer a comprehensive legal curriculum in the United States....
and Francis Barber
Francis Barber
Francis Barber was the Jamaican manservant of Samuel Johnson in London from 1752 until Johnson's death in 1784. Johnson made him his residual heir, with £70 a year to be given him by Trustees, expressing the wish that he move from London to Lichfield in Staffordshire, Johnson's native city...
, where he was classmates with Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
. He then attended the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). He left the College of New Jersey in 1775 to fight in the revolution, though he would later receive an honorary degree in 1776.
Soldier
During the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
Dayton, 15 at the outbreak in 1775, served under his father in the 3rd New Jersey Regiment
3rd New Jersey Regiment
The 3rd New Jersey Regiment was raised, on January 1, 1776, at Elizabethtown, New Jersey for service with the Continental Army. One of the captains of this regiment was Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer of the Constitution...
as an ensign. By 1777 Dayton had become a lieutenant serving under Washington fighting, at both the battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
. The Daytons remained with Washington at Valley Forge, and helped push the British from their position in New Jersey into the Safety of New York City.
In October 1780, Dayton along with an uncle were captured by loyalist who held him captive for the winter, released in the coming year. They again served under Dayton's father, Elias Dayton, in the New Jersey Brigade. Now only 19, Dayton was promoted to rank of captain and transferred to the second New Jersey, where he took part in the ensuing Yorktown Campaign fighting at the Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown
Battle of Yorktown may refer to:*Siege of Yorktown , last major battle during the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence*Battle of Yorktown , a battle during the Peninsula campaign of the American Civil War...
.
Career
After the war, Dayton studied law and established a practice, dividing his time between land speculation, law, and politics. After serving as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and Constitutional Convention
Philadelphia Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from...
( which he was the youngest member of, at the age of 26), he became a prominent Federalist legislator. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
from 1786–1787, and again in 1790, and served in the New Jersey Legislative Council
New Jersey Legislative Council
The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844.-History:...
(now the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
) in 1789.
Dayton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1789, but he did not take his seat until he was elected again in 1791. He served as speaker for the Fourth and Fifth Congress. Like most Federalists, he supported the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, and helped organize the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, or Whiskey Insurrection, was a tax protest in the United States in the 1790s, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who sold their corn in the form of whiskey had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented...
. He supported the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
and opposed the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801.
Wealthy from his heavy investments in Ohio where the city of Dayton would later be named after him, Dayton lent money to Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
becoming involved by association in the "conspiracy" in which Burr was accused of intending to conquer parts of what is now the western United States. (This was never proven.) Dayton was exonerated, but this effectively ended his political career.
Late life and family
He married Susan Williamson and had two daughters but their marriage date is unknown.After resuming his political career in New Jersey, he died in 1824 in his hometown and was interred in an unmarked grave now under the present St. John's Episcopal Church
St. John's Episcopal Church
St. John's Episcopal Church, or variants thereof, can refer to the following:In the United States* St. John's Episcopal Church , listed on the NRHP in Alabama...
in Elizabeth which replaced the original church in 1860.
Dayton, Ohio
The city of Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, was named after Jonathan Dayton. While he never set foot in the area, he was a signatory to the constitution and, at the time the city was established in 1796, he owned (in partnership with Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...
, James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson was an American soldier and statesman, who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but was twice compelled to resign...
and Israel Ludlow
Israel Ludlow
Israel Ludlow was a government surveyor who helped found Cincinnati, Dayton and Hamilton in southwest Ohio.Israel Ludlow was born near Morristown, New Jersey in 1765. In 1786, each of the thirteen states was to appoint a man to help survey the Seven Ranges in the easternmost portion of the...
) 250,000 acres (1,011 km²) in the Great Miami River basin.
Legacy
The Jonathan Dayton High SchoolJonathan Dayton High School
Jonathan Dayton High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school in Springfield Township, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Springfield Public Schools...
in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
Township of Springfield is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population increased to a record high of 15,817....
, the Dayton
Dayton, Newark, New Jersey
Dayton is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey in the city's east ward, named after Jonathan Dayton. The area is bounded on the north by Peddie Street , on the east by Newark Liberty International Airport, on the south by Elizabeth and on the west by Elizabeth Avenue. The main road through the...
neighborhood of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Dayton Street in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, and Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
are named in his honor.
External links
- Jonathan Dayton at The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...
- Jonathan Dayton at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...