DANIEL D

See also:

• DANIEL D TOMPKINS

TOMPKINS  . (1774–1825), American politician, was born at Scarsdale, Westchester county, New York, on the 21st of June 1774 . He graduated at Columbia College in 1795, and was admitted to the bar in 1797 . In 18o1 he was elected to the state constitutional convention, in 1803 was a member of the state assembly, and in 1804 was elected to the national House of Representatives, but became a judge of the state supreme court, and served as such until 1807 . He was governor of New York in 1807–1817; and in 1817–1825, during both terms of President James Monroe, was vice-president of the United States . In March 1812, under the authority of art. xviii. of the New York constitution of 1777, he prorogued the legislature —the only instance of the exercise of this power . During the War of 1812 he was active in equipping and arming the New York militia . For this purpose he borrowed much money on his personal security, and sometimes neglected to secure proper vouchers . Later the state comptroller announced a shortage of $120,000 in the military accounts, but Tompkins claimed that the state owed him $130,000 . Later investigations disclosed that the state actually owed him more than $90,000 . In 1821 he was president of the state constitutional convention . He died on Staten Island, N.Y., on the I1th of June 1825 .

The Military Papers of

Daniel D . Tompkins, 1807–1817 (3 vols., 1898–1902) were published by the state . See D . S . Alexander, Political History of New York, vol. i . (New York, 1906) .