Livingston was raised by his grandmother in Albany, New York.
He spent one of his teenage years as a missionary among the Mohawk Indians.
Livingston graduated from Yale and spent many years in law practice and politics in New York.
Tired of law and having lost power in the New York legislature, he moved to New Jersey around 1770.
He planned to live in retirement, but instead was caught up in the Revolution.
Livingston served in the Continental Congress, in the New Jersey militia, and as governor of the state.
At the Philadelphia Convention, he served as chairman of the committee that reached a compromise on slavery, an institution he opposed.
He worked for ratification in New Jersey, where his position as governor helped.
He served as governor from 1776 until his death in 1790.
