Jonathan Dayton | |
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| 3rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office December 7, 1795 – March 3, 1799 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Muhlenberg |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Sedgwick |
| United States Senator fromNew Jersey | |
| In office March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1805 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Stockton |
| Succeeded by | Aaron Kitchell |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1799 | |
| Preceded by | James Schureman Elias Boudinot |
| Succeeded by | Mark Thomson John Condit |
| Delegate from New Jerseyto theCongress of the Confederation | |
| In office 1787–1788 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1760-10-16)October 16, 1760 Elizabethtown,Province of New Jersey,British America |
| Died | October 9, 1824(1824-10-09) (aged 63) Elizabethtown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Other political affiliations | Pro-Administration |
| Spouse | Susan Williamson |
| Parent | Elias Dayton (father) |
| Relatives | George Dayton (great-grandson) |
| Alma mater | College of New Jersey |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature | .png) |
Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760 – October 9, 1824) was an AmericanFounding Father and politician fromNew Jersey. At 26, he was the youngest person to sign theConstitution of the United States. He was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1791 and later served from 1795 to 1799 as its thirdSpeaker. He left the House in 1799 after being elected to theU.S. Senate, where he served one term. Dayton was arrested in 1807 for allegedtreason in connection withAaron Burr'sconspiracy to establish an independent country in theSouthwestern United States and parts of Mexico. He was exonerated by agrand jury,[1] but his national political career never recovered.
Jonathan Dayton was born in Elizabethtown (now known asElizabeth), New Jersey. He was the son ofElias Dayton, a merchant prominent in local politics who had served as a militia officer in theFrench and Indian War, and his wife the former Hannah Rolfe. He graduated from the local academy, run byTapping Reeve andFrancis Barber, where he was classmates withAlexander Hamilton. He then attended the College of New Jersey (now known asPrinceton University). He left college in 1775 to fight in theAmerican Revolutionary War and received an honorary degree in 1776.[2]
Dayton was 15 at the outbreak of the war in 1775 and served under his father in the3rd New Jersey Regiment as anensign. On January 1, 1777, he was commissioned a lieutenant and served aspaymaster. He saw service under GeneralGeorge Washington, fighting in the battles ofBrandywine Creek andGermantown. He remained with Washington atValley Forge and helped push the British from their position in New Jersey into the safety of New York City.[2] In October 1780, Dayton and an uncle were captured byLoyalists, who held them captive for the winter before releasing them in the following year. Dayton again served under his father in theNew Jersey Brigade. On March 30, 1780, at age 19, he was promoted to the rank ofcaptain and transferred to the2nd New Jersey Regiment, where he took part in theBattle of Yorktown.[2] The Revolutionary War pension records indicate that he served asaide-de-camp to GeneralJohn Sullivan on his expedition against the Indians from May 1 to November 30, 1779.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, Dayton was admitted as an original member of TheSociety of the Cincinnati in the state of New Jersey.[3][4][5] On July 19, 1799, Dayton was offered a commission as major general in the Provisional United States Army, but he declined.
After the war, Dayton studied law and opened a practice, dividing his time between landspeculation, law, and politics. After serving as a New Jerseydelegate to theContinental Congress andConstitutional Convention (of which he was the youngest member, at age 26[6]), he became a prominentFederalist legislator. He was a member of theNew Jersey General Assembly in 1786–1787, and again in 1790, and served in theNew Jersey Legislative Council (now theNew Jersey Senate) in 1789.[2]
Dayton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1789, but he did not take his seat until he was re-elected in 1791. He served as speaker for the Fourth and Fifth Congresses. Like most Federalists, he supported the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton, and he helped organize the suppression of theWhiskey Rebellion. He supported theLouisiana Purchase and opposed the repeal of theJudiciary Act of 1801.[2]
Wealthy from his heavy investments in Ohio, Dayton lent money to Aaron Burr, becoming involved by association in thealleged conspiracy in which Burr was accused of intending to conquer parts of what is now theSouthwestern United States. Dayton was exonerated, but his association with Burr effectively ended his political career.[2]
Dayton married Susan Williamson in 1779 and had two daughters.[7]
Dayton died on October 9, 1824 in his hometown. He was interred in an unmarked grave that is now under theSt. John's Episcopal Church inElizabeth, New Jersey, which replaced an original church in 1860. Shortly before Dayton's death,Lafayette visited him, as reported in an obituary in theColumbian Centinel on October 20, 1824: "In New-Jersey, Hon. JONATHAN DAYTON, formerly Speaker of the House of Representatives of Congress, and a Hero of the Revolution. When the Nation's Guest lately passed New-Jersey, he passed the night with General Dayton, and such were the exertions of this aged and distinguished federalist, to honor the Guest, and gratify the wishes of his fellow citizens to see, that he sunk under them; and expired, without regret, a few days after."[8]
The city ofDayton, Ohio, was named after him. While he never visited the area, he was a signatory to the Constitution and, at the time the city of Dayton was established in 1796, he owned (in partnership withArthur St. Clair,James Wilkinson andIsrael Ludlow) 250,000 acres (1,011 km2) in theGreat Miami River basin.[9][10] TheJonathan Dayton High School inSpringfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, theDayton neighborhood ofNewark, New Jersey, Dayton Street[11] inMadison, Wisconsin, andDayton, New Jersey,[12] are named in his honor.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's at-large congressional district March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1799 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from New Jersey March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1805 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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