LIVINGSTON, Edward, American states man : b. Clermont, N. Y., 26 May 1764; d. Rhinebeck, N. Y., 23 May 1836. He was grad uated from the College of New Jersey in 1781, was admitted to the bar in 1785, was a New York representative in Congress (1795-1801) and was a leader of the opposition. In 1801 he was appointed by President Jefferson United States attorney for the New York district, and in that year became also mayor of New York. During the yellow fever epidemic in 1803 he was stricken with the disease, and during his illness $43,666, for which he was responsible to the United States government, were misap propriated by his fiscal agent. He confessed judgment in favor of the United States for $100,000, and resigned both his offices. Every dollar of this amount was subsequently repaid. In 1804 he began the practice of law at New Orleans and, accepting land in lieu of fees, acquired a lucrative practice, and drew up a code of legal procedure. At the time of the preparation for the battle of New Orleans, he was president of the committee of public de fense, and Jackson's chief assistant. During the battle he served on Jackson's staff. In 1820 he was elected a representative to the State legislature of Louisiana, in 1822-29 represented the New Orleans district in Congress, and from 7 Dec. 1829 to 3 March 1831 was United
States senator from Louisiana. In 1831 he be came Secretary of State in Jackson's Cabinet. This post he resigned to become Minister to France in 1833; and in 1835 he returned to the United States. He was a distinguished lawyer; and as Secretary of State exercised strong in fluence on the administration of Jackson, whose state papers, including the Nullification proclamation of 10 Dec. 1832, are generally be to have been written by him. The most remarkable of his legal works is his 'System of Penal Law for the State of Louisiana,' which, written between 1821 and 1824, was accidentally destroyed by fire, was rewritten and published in 1826, and earned for its author from Sir Henry Maine the description of "the first legal genius of modern times." He also wrote 'System of Penal Law for the United States' (1828). His 'Complete Works on Criminal Jurisprudence> appeared in 1873. Con sult the biographies by C. H. Hunt (New York 1864); and Carleton Hunt (New Orleans 1903).