Philip John Schuyler

Philip John Schuyler (1733-1804), American Revolution soldier and statesman, and father-in-law of Alexander Hamilton. He was born in Albany, New York. A wealthy landowner, he served with distinction in the French and Indian War, and in 1768 was made a member of the Colonial Assembly. In 1775, at the outbreak of the American Revolution, Schuyler was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, which appointed him a major general in the Continental Army. General George Washington placed him in command of the Northern Department of New York. Schuyler was preparing the Canadian campaign of 1775-76 when ill health compelled him to turn over the field command of that expedition to the British-born American general Richard Montgomery, but he continued to fight in New York. In July 1777, Schuyler was blamed for the British capture of Fort Ticonderoga, and in August he was replaced in command by Major General Horatio Gates. Schuyler requested a court-martial, at which he was acquitted with honor, but in 1779 he resigned from the army. He remained one of Washington's close friends.

Schuyler was a member of the New York Senate for 13 years between 1780 and 1797 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1789 to 1791 and in 1797-1798. He also served as commissioner of Indian affairs and negotiated several treaties with the Six Nations (Iroquoian Confederacy).