Philip John Schuyler (November 20, 1733 – November 18, 1804) was a general in the
American Revolution and a
United States Senator from
New York. He is usually known as
Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as
Philip J. Schuyler.
Early life
Philip Schuyler was born in
Albany, New York, on November 20, 1733, to a wealthy colonial family. His family had gradually expanded their holdings and influence in the New World. His father, John Schuyler, Jr., was the third generation of the family in America, when he married
Cornelia Van Cortlandt, connecting them with another prominent family. (A cousin of John Schuyler, Jr., was Peter Schuyler who commanded the
Jersey Blues. Another Cousin of Philip Schuyler was Hester Schuyler married
William Colfax, a veteran of
George Washington's
Life Guards and later a general in the New Jersey militia who also commanded the
Jersey Blues {These were also the grandparents of Congressman
Schuyler Colfax}. A nephew of Peter Schuyler was
Loyalist Arent Schuyler De Peyster. A brother-in-law of Philip Schuyler was Director General of the Military Hospitals of the Continental Army, Dr.
John Cochran (military physician).)
His father died on the eve of Philip's seventh birthday. After attending the public school at Albany he was educated by tutors at the Van Cortlandt family estate at
New Rochelle. He joined the British forces in 1755 during the
French and Indian War, raised a company, and was commissioned as its Captain by his cousin, Lt. Governor
James Delancey.
Later in that war, he served as a quartermaster, purchasing supplies and organizing equipment.
In September of 1755, he married
Catherine Van Rensselaer (1734-1803) at Albany.
This cemented his relationship with another powerful New York family. Although the marriage was urgent (their first daughter
Angelica was born in February, 1756), they were a devoted couple for the rest of their lives, and had fifteen children.
From 1761 to 1762, Schuyler made a trip to England to settle accounts from his work as quartermaster. During this time his home in Albany, later called
Schuyler Mansion, was built. His country estate at Saratoga (which is now
Schuylerville, New York) was also begun. After the war he also expanded his estate at Saratoga, expanding his holdings to tens of thousands of acres, adding slaves, tenant farmers, a store, mills for flour, flax, and lumber. His
flax mill for the making of linen was the first one in America. If they had been situated in the South, Schuyler's holdings at Saratoga would have been called a plantation. He built several schooners on the
Hudson River, and named the first
Saratoga.
Schuyler began his political career as a member of the New York Assembly in 1768, and served in that body until 1775. During this time his views came to be more opposed to the colonial government. He was particularly outspoken in matters of trade and currency. He was also made a Colonel in the militia for his support of governor
Henry Moore.
Revolutionary War
thumb|left|Schuyler's house during the [[American Revolution|Revolution in
Schuylerville]]
Schuyler was elected to the
Continental Congress in 1775, and served until he was appointed a Major General of the
Continental Army in June. General Schuyler took command of the
Northern Department, and planned the
Invasion of Canada (1775). His poor health required him to place
Richard Montgomery in command of the invasion.
As department commanding General, he was active in preparing a defense against the
Saratoga Campaign, part of the "Three Pronged Attack" strategy of the British to cut the American Colonies in two by invading and occupying New York State in 1777. In the summer of that year General John Burgoyne marched his British army south from Quebec over the valleys of Lakes Champlain and George. On the way he invested the small Colonial garrison occupying Fort Ticonderoga at the nexus of the two lakes. When General
St. Clair surrendered
Fort Ticonderoga in July, the Congress replaced Schuyler with General
Horatio Gates, who had accused Schuyler of dereliction of duty.
The British invasion was eventually stopped and defeated at the
Battle of Saratoga by Continental forces then under the command of Gates and
Benedict Arnold. That victory, the first wholesale defeat of a large British army at the hands of the former colonials, brought France into the war on the American side. When Schuyler demanded a court martial to answer Gates' charges, he was vindicated but resigned from the army on April 19, 1779. He then served in two more sessions of the Continental Congress in 1779 and 1780.
Later career
He was a member of the
New York State Senate from 1780 to 1784, and at the same time
New York State Surveyor General from 1781 to 1784. Afterwards he returned to the State Senate from 1786 to 1790, where he actively supported the adoption of the
United States Constitution.
In
1789, he was elected a
U.S. Senator from New York to the
First United States Congress, serving from July 27, 1789, to March 3, 1791. After losing his bid for re-election in
1791, he returned to the State Senate from 1792 to 1797. In
1797, he was elected again to the U.S. Senate and served in the
5th United States Congress from March 4, 1797 until his resignation because of ill health on January 3, 1798.
Descendants
thumb|Statue outside Albany City Hall- Schuyler's family line continues; descendants of him and his children are living today.
Philip's country home had been destroyed by British General
John Burgoyne's forces in September, 1777. Starting later that year, he rebuilt on the same site, now located in southern Schuylerville, New York. The 1777 home is maintained by the
National Park Service as part of the
Saratoga National Historical Park, and is open to the public.
Schuyler died at
his mansion in Albany on November 18, 1804, and is buried in the
Albany Rural Cemetery at
Menands, New York. His mansion in Albany is maintained by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is open to the public.
Schuyler County, Illinois, and
Schuyler County, New York, were named in his honor.
In 1833, construction of a fort began on the tip of the
Throggs Neck peninsula in New York, to protect the western end of the
Long Island Sound. The installation of armament was completed in 1856, and the fortification was named
Fort Schuyler in his honor. Fort Schuyler now houses the
Maritime Industry Museum and the
State University of New York Maritime College.
Albany, New York erected a statue of Schuyler by sculptor
J. Massey Rhind in 1925.
