Governor Clinton's Monument, Kingston, NY
Kingston, Ulster County
Vintage postcard of Governor Clinton's Monument at the Old Stone Church in the Stockade District of Kingston, New York. The postcard was published by Valentine & Sons Publishing Company. The postcard was manufactured within the United States. The postmark date on the back appears to be the year 1911.
George Clinton (1739-1812) played an important role in the American Revolution and the early days of the fledgling nation, serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress, as Brigadier General in the Continental Army, as the first, and longest serving, governor of New York State (1777-1795, 1801-1804) and as Vice President under both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (1804-1812). Clinton was originally buried at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC but was ceremoniously re-interred with much fanfare at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York on May 30, 1908.
Clinton’s 3-ton obelisk monument, made of granite or sandstone, is prominently situated near the front of the Old Dutch Church. The monument was moved during the 1908 re-interment ceremonies. The obelisk sits upon a stepped pedestal base with a “round, white marble relief inset on one side of the obelisk . . . that features a bas-relief bust of George Clinton . . . shown in proper right profile and wears a jacket and cravat. The inset is surrounded by a bas-relief laurel wreath.” The memorial was restored and rededicated in 1989.
