Edward Livingston was born on May 26, 1764, in Clermont, New York, and graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) in 1781. He studied law with Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, was admitted to the New York bar (1785), and served in Congress as a representative from New York (1794-1801). Livingston served as both U.S. district attorney for New York and mayor of New York City (1800), resigning all offices while coping with yellow fever (1803). During the Battle of New Orleans, Livingston served as aide-de-camp, secretary, and military interpreter to General Andrew Jackson. Thereafter, he was elected to the Louisiana legislature (1820), later serving Louisiana in Washington as a member of both the House of Representatives (1823-1829) and the Senate (1829). Livingston would serve President Andrew Jackson as secretary of state from 1831 to 1833. Following his time in the cabinet, Livingston became minister plenipotentiary to France (1833-1835). Edward Livingston died May 23, 1836.

For further reading: Hatcher, William. Edward Livingston: Jeffersonian Republican and Jacksonian Democrat. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1940.