DeWitt Clinton Statue, New York City, pre-1911
Suggested Teaching Instructions
Dewitt Clinton is probably most famous as the “Father of the Erie Canal.” He strongly promoted the construction of the Erie Canal as New York Canal Commissioner. Shortly after he was elected governor of New York, Clinton broke ground for the Erie Canal on July 4, 1817.
Construction of the canal took eight years, and many people scoffed at the plan, calling the canal “Clinton’s Ditch.” Despite the criticism, Governor Clinton persevered in the construction of the canal. Today, the Erie Canal is recognized as a triumph of engineering and a major milestone in New York history.
The canal was finally completed on October 26, 1825. As part of the celebrations for the opening of the canal, Governor Clinton boarded a boat to travel the entire length of the canal from Buffalo to New York City. When the boat arrived in New York City on November 4, 1825, Governor Clinton poured a keg of Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean in an act known as the “Marriage of the Waters.”