Daniel D. Tompkins was an American statesman who served as the United States’ sixth Vice President between 1817 and 1825. Tompkins was born into a farming family, and after graduating from Columbia College, he went on to study law and was admitted to the bar. Tompkins entered politics after establishing himself as a lawyer in New York, serving as a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention. He then served in the New York Assembly and was elected to the United States House of Representatives, but he resigned his seat to take a seat on the New York Supreme Court. Following that, he was elected to the governorship of New York, becoming the city’s fourth governor. During his tenure as governor, he promoted educational and criminal reforms, recognized the War of 1812, and rebuilt the militia system. In 1817, Tompkins was chosen vice president of the United States in James Monroe’s administration, a position he maintained until 1825. During his time as Vice President, he took several significant measures toward the abolition of slavery in the state. Despite being re-elected as Vice President, a decade of financial difficulties, coupled with accusations of misusing state and federal monies during the War of 1812, broke him near the conclusion of his career, and he was frequently absent from his post. After that, he succumbed to drinking and died three months after resigning as Vice President.
Childhood and Adolescence
Jonathan Griffin Tompkins and his wife, Sarah Anny Hyatt, had Daniel Tompkins on June 21, 1774, in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York. His parents, both tenant farmers, had eleven children, and he was one of them.
Tompkins was valedictorian of Columbia College in New York when he graduated in 1795. Following that, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1797 in New York, where he practiced and eventually served as a bankruptcy commissioner.
Career of Daniel D. Tompkins
In 1801, he was elected to the New York State Constitutional Convention as a delegate. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1803.
He was elected to the House of Representatives of the United States in 1804. He never took his position and instead resigned to join the New York Supreme Court as an associate justice, where he served from 1804 to 1807.
In 1807, he defeated incumbent Governor Morgan Lewis for the governorship of New York, becoming the city’s Fourth Governor. In the years following, he was re-elected three times: in 1810, 1813, and 1816.
In order to prevent the chartering of a banking organization in New York, Tompkins took the unprecedented action of proroguing the state assembly in 1812.
As Governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, he promoted educational reforms and a more liberal penal system, including a reduction in the number of offenses subject to capital penalty.
President James Madison offered Tompkins the position of United States Secretary of State in 1814, but he declined and instead decided to become the commander of the federal military area that included New York. In the same year, he was inducted into the American Antiquarian Society.
He was elected Vice President on the same ticket as President James Monroe in 1816. On March 4, 1817, he was elected Vice President of the United States and became the country’s sixth Vice President.
While serving as Vice President, Tompkin campaigned for Governor of New York in 1820. He was defeated by incumbent DeWitt Clinton in the election.
Tompkins was then re-nominated for Vice President and was elected for a second term. However, due to financial constraints, he was frequently away from his office during the last three years of his tenure.
As Governor of New York during the War of 1812, he was instrumental in the planning and mobilization of the New York militia. When the New York state legislature refused to provide the necessary funding, he borrowed money from his personal security.
Neither the state nor the federal government reimbursed him after the war so that he could return his loans. Tompkins was involved in a legal conflict with the government for nearly a decade, which precluded him from performing his duties for the majority of his second tenure as Vice President. His health gradually deteriorated as a result of his financial difficulties, and he became an alcoholic.
Major Projects of Daniel D. Tompkins
Tompkins was one of the most active war governors during the War of 1812. He was instrumental in restructuring the state militia and promoting the formation of a permanent state armed force based on selective conscription.
Tompkins was also instrumental in the passage of state legislation outlawing slavery and advocating for the establishment of a fixed deadline for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Personal History and Legacy
Daniel Tompkins married Hannah Minthorne, the 16-year-old daughter of Mangle Minthorne, Assistant Alderman in the Common Council, on February 20, 1798. The couple has eight children together.
At the age of 50, Daniel Tompkins died at Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York, on June 11, 1825. In the west yard of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, New York City, he was buried in the Minthorne crypt.
Estimated Net worth
The estimated net worth of Daniel D. Tompkins is unknown.