Obadiah German

Obadiah German (April 22, 1766 – September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from New York (1809-1815) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1819.

Obadiah German
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
In office January 6, 1819 – June 30, 1819
Preceded by	David Woods
Succeeded by	John C. Spencer
United States Senator from New York
In office March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1815
Preceded by	Samuel L. Mitchill
Succeeded by	Nathan Sanford
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office 1798 1804-1805 1807-1809 1819
Personal details
Born	(1766-04-22)April 22, 1766 Amenia, New York
Died	September 24, 1842(1842-09-24) (aged 76) Norwich, Chenango County, New York
Resting place	North Norwich Cemetery, North Norwich, New York
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic-Republican Whig
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Lewis (d. 1829) Mary Ann Knight (d. 1861)

Life

He was born on April 22, 1766, in Amenia, New York.^[1] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1792, and commenced practice in Norwich.^[1] A Democratic-Republican, he was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1798 to 1799, 1804 to 1805, and 1807 to 1809.^[1]

In 1809, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York.^[1] He served one term, March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1815, and was not a candidate for reelection.^[1] 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.^[2] In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of Hamilton College.^[3] He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819.^[1] He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.^[1]

Supporting DeWitt Clinton's Erie Canal project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed to the state Public Works Commission in 1817.^[4] German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party and was chosen to serve as Speaker.^[2] Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized.^[1]

He died on September 24, 1842, in Norwich, New York.^[1] He was buried at North Norwich Cemetery in North Norwich, New York.^[1]

Family

German had seven children with his first wife, Mary Ann Lewis, known as Ann, who died in 1829.^[5]

• Lewis German (d. 1819) was a lieutenant in the United States Navy and a veteran of the War of 1812.^[6]
• Morris^{[citation needed]}
• Sutherland^{[citation needed]}
• Albert was an innkeeper in Norwich before moving to Ohio.^[5]
• Walter, who succeeded his father in the family's Norwich mercantile business.^[5] He served as a militia captain during the War of 1812^[7] and became insolvent after his business failed in 1820.^[8]
• Julia, who was the wife of Stephen Anderson of Norwich, and later resided in Wisconsin.^[5]
• Maria (d. 1876), who was the wife of Reverend George Harmon and resided in Wisconsin and Ohio.^[9]

After the death of his first wife, he married Mary Ann Knight.^[5] The couple had two sons. Mary Ann moved to Syracuse with their sons when they were young, while Obadiah continued to live in Norwich.^[5]

Widow

Obadiah German's widow Mary Ann Knight claimed to have been defrauded by her brother (some accounts say German's brother) of German's $70,000 estate (about $1.7 million in 2014).^[10] She took up residence in Syracuse and became a public charge after being found "in a state of great destitution", her efforts at earning a living through painting and "fancy work" having failed.^[10] Her claim to be German's widow was not believed in Syracuse until it was confirmed after her death.^[10]

Legacy

The town of German, New York, is named after him.^[11]

Attempts to locate portrait

German is one of approximately 50 former senators for whom the U.S. Senate's photo historian has no likeness on file.^[12] Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.^[12]