Description
William Livingston 1723 - 1790, served as the Governor of New Jersey 1776 - 1790, during the American Revolutionary War and was a signer of the United States Constitution. In 1747, Livingston wrote and published a long pastoral poem entitled, "Philosophic Solitude, or the Choice of a Rural Life". One of the first successful original poems written by an American colonist, it was anthologized numerous times into the 19th century. In 1754, Livingston also played a key role in founding the New York Society Library, which is still in existence over a quarter of a millennium later.