Erie Canal Commission


The Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie and Report, known as the Erie Canal Commission, was a body created by the New York State Legislature in 1810 to plan the Erie Canal. In 1817 a Canal Fund led by Commissioners of the Canal Fund was established to oversee the funding of construction of the canal. In 1826 a Canal Board, of which both the planning commissioners and the Canal Fund commissioners were members, was created to take control of the operational canal. The term "Canal Commission" was at times applied to any of these bodies. Afterwards the canal commissioners were minor state cabinet officers responsible for the maintenance and improvements of the state's canals.
The office of Canal Commissioner was abolished in 1876, and their responsibilities were taken over by the Superintendent of Public Works in February 1878. The Canal Fund and the Canal Board were abolished in 1910.

Origins of the Erie Canal Commission

As the United States expanded into western New York and the Northwest Territory, the Great Lakes became an essential part of the system of waterways, on which merchants did most of their shipping. The easiest way from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and Europe was by way of the St. Lawrence River, but this was controlled mainly by the French from Canada. After examining the Mohawk River, a canal from the Great Lakes to the Hudson River was proposed. In addition to the control of shipping in North America, the United States would successfully tie the western territories to the eastern states, thus creating a more unified nation. This was an enormous undertaking, so it became necessary to appoint a Commission to oversee the entire project.
The origins of the Commission can be traced back to two men: Thomas Eddy and Jonas Platt. Eddy was the Treasurer of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, which had been established in 1792 with the purpose of developing a navigable route up the Mohawk River to Lake Ontario. When he found his company in financial trouble, he drew upon the idea first proposed by Joshua Forman of building a canal, rather than trying to navigate the rivers. He turned to his friend Platt, then a State Senator and leader of the Federalists in New York, and the two of them decided to propose the creation of a small group of highly influential commissioners to explore two possible routes of a canal – one to Lake Ontario and one to Lake Erie. They would report findings to the New York State Legislature after their expedition to the west. In order to get permission for this commission, Platt and Eddy knew that each man had to command a certain amount of power and respect, but the whole group had to be politically balanced between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. On March 13, 1810, Platt presented his project for a bipartisan Canal Commission to the State Legislature, and received overwhelming support. On March 15, the State Legislature appointed Federalists Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William North and Thomas Eddy, and Democratic-Republicans DeWitt Clinton, Simeon DeWitt and Peter Buell Porter a commission to explore a route for a canal to Lake Erie, and report.

Surveying the route

In June 1810, the commissioners were prepared to head west to survey the land to determine a possible route for their canal. Though Gouverneur Morris was President of the Commission, the title was mainly ceremonial because all the members looked to DeWitt Clinton for leadership. All of the members except Van Rensselaer and Morris, who traversed the whole state by carriage, traveled up the Mohawk River and as far west as possible by water, where they met two amateur surveyors, James Geddes and Benjamin Wright. From there, they traveled the final one hundred miles from Lake Seneca to Lake Erie by carriage. DeWitt Clinton kept a journal for the entire journey, in which he closely documented their adventures.
After much deliberation, the Commission turned their findings into a report that they submitted in March 1811. Rejecting Porter’s ideas of running the canal either to Lake Ontario, or through his lands to Lake Erie, the commissioners decided that the canal had to run straight to Lake Erie. Otherwise, the St. Lawrence River would still be a primary route of transportation and the West would not be connected to the East. They also rejected Morris’s proposition of a natural waterway created by the overflow of Lake Erie in favor of an entirely artificial waterway. The final and most important section of the report demanded public financing and control of the canal by the State of New York. Citing past failures such as Eddy’s company, and George Washington’s Potomac Company, the Commission stated that such large endeavors were too expensive for private financing.

Response to the report

In response to this report, on April 8, 1811, the State Legislature passed the first of many laws relating to the canal. The bill added Robert Fulton and Robert R. Livingston to the Commission. Fulton had developed the first steamboat that ran along the Hudson River and Livingston was his business and engineering partner. It also gave the commissioners $15,000 to finance further activities and granted them permission to take all the necessary steps to finance the entire project. On June 19, 1812, the Commission was empowered to purchase the rights, interests and estate of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company.
Eddy and Fulton looked for engineers to design the project. De Witt and Van Rensselaer sought land cessations for the path of the canal. Livingston, with the help of Clinton, devised a plan to secure national assistance. Morris and North looked for the best way to borrow money. The largest duty, however, was assigned to Clinton and Morris, who went to Washington, D.C., to solicit aid from President James Madison and the Federal Government. Unfortunately, after failing to obtain any funds from the government, their situation only got worse with the War of 1812.

War of 1812 and aftermath

With the outbreak of war, Van Rensselaer became the Head of the New York State Militia, and Clinton ran as the Federalists presidential candidate opposing James Madison and the war. In addition, despite allowing the Commission to create a fund for financing the canal in 1812, the State Legislature repealed the act in 1814, rendering the commissioners essentially helpless.
Finally, after the United States made peace with Great Britain, officials could turn their attention towards the canal, which they did in a public meeting in New York City on December 3, 1815. The board sparked interest by emphasizing the benefits the city would receive from the canal. Despite minor setbacks, the meeting was a huge success. Even though President Madison vetoed a bill that provided funding for one quarter of the canal, the Commission convinced the State Legislature to go ahead with construction.

New appointments to the commission

On April 17, 1816, the State Legislature passed a bill that provided more funds for the project, and appointed Van Rensselaer, Clinton, Joseph Ellicott, Myron Holley and Samuel Young Commissioners to Construct a Canal from the Hudson River to Lake Erie and Lake Champlain. Ellicott was well informed about the lands in western New York as well as being an agent of the Holland Land Company, which donated 100,000 acres to the Erie Canal project. Holley, a State assemblyman, was a supporter of Clinton and government-financed public improvements. Young had written A Treatise on Internal Navigation - A Comprehensive Study of Canals in Great Britain and Holland.
The project was soon caught up in politics, with either party attempting to receive the credit for the construction; the Bucktails struggled to gain control over the Commission, still firmly held by Clinton in 1817.
On April 19, 1817, the State Legislature created the Canal Fund to oversee construction. The Commissioners of the Canal Fund consisted ex officio of the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer and the Surveyor General. The existing Canal Commission was keep a separate planning body, thereby splitting Clinton's power over the canal.
In 1818, Ellicot resigned from the Commission citing poor health, and to replace him, Clinton appointed one of his strongest supporters Ephraim Hart. Recognizing Hart’s political allegiance, the Bucktail majority of the State Legislature elected a Clinton opponent, Henry Seymour, in 1819 to succeed Hart.
The Commission slipped even further out of Clinton’s control in 1821, when the Bucktail-controlled State Legislature passed a bill that provided two million dollars in funding for the canal, as well as the appointment of an additional commissioner. As Governor of New York, Clinton had to sign the bill so he was not seen as blocking the necessary funds. The Bucktails promptly elected William C. Bouck, another staunch Clinton opponent.
A heavy blow to Clinton came on April 12, 1824, when his opponents succeeded in ousting him from the Commission. Despite words of support in the State Assembly, they voted him out and Clinton stepped down after being a commissioner from the beginning and its president since 1816. A wave of indignation over the treatment of the man who was recognized as the driving force behind the construction, Clinton was re-elected Governor of New York in November 1824, and had the great satisfaction to preside over the inauguration of the completed Erie Canal on October 26, 1825.

Later reorganization and operations

The New York State Constitution of 1821 provided for the creation of the Canal Board to oversee the operational canal, which was established in 1826. The Board originally consisted of the same officers as the Commissioners of the Canal Fund, as well as the members of the Canal Commission, thereby merging he two in practical terms. In 1846, the newly created office of State Engineer and Surveyor replaced the Surveyor General.
Until 1844 the term of the commissioners was indefinite. The Act of May 6, 1844, established a four-year term, while vacancies were filled by concurrent resolution of both houses of the State Legislature, or during the recess of the Legislature, temporarily by the Governor, and a substitute was elected at the next State election if there was a remainder of the term. The Constitution of 1846 shortened the term to three years.
The office of Canal Commissioner was abolished by an amendment in 1876, with the functions of the office taken over by the new Commissioner of Public Works.
In 1903 New York State legislature authorized construction of the "New York State Barge Canal" as the "improvement of the Erie, the Oswego, the Champlain and the Cayuga and Seneca Canals".
In 1905, construction of the Barge Canal began; it was completed in 1918, at a cost of $96.7 million. Now known as the New York State Canal System, it is operated by the New York State Canal Corporation.

List of Canal Commissioners

NameTook officeLeft officePartyNotes
Gouverneur MorrisMarch 15, 1810April 17, 1816Federalist
William NorthMarch 15, 1810April 17, 1816Federalist
Simeon De WittMarch 15, 1810April 17, 1816Dem.-Rep.
Thomas EddyMarch 15, 1810April 17, 1816Federalist
Peter Buell PorterMarch 15, 1810April 17, 1816Dem.-Rep.
DeWitt ClintonMarch 15, 1810April 12, 1824Dem.-Rep.removed by State Legislature
Stephen Van RensselaerMarch 15, 1810January 26, 1839Federalist/Clintonianbecame a Clintonian when the Federalist Party disbanded; died in office; longest-serving Canal Commissioner
Robert R. LivingstonApril 8, 1811February 26, 1813Dem.-Rep.died in office
Robert FultonApril 8, 1811February 24, 1815Dem.-Rep.died in office
Charles D. Cooper1815April 17, 1816Dem.-Rep.
Joseph EllicottApril 17, 18161818resigned
Myron HolleyApril 17, 1816March 30, 1824Dem.-Rep./Clintonianresigned
Samuel YoungApril 17, 1816February 22, 1840Dem.-Rep./Bucktails
Ephraim HartJune 18, 1818March 24, 1819Dem.-Rep./Clintonianappointed by the Governor in place of Ellicott until the election of a successor by the State Legislature
Henry SeymourMarch 24, 1819May 1831Dem.-Rep./Bucktailssucceeding Hart, elected by the State Legislature in place of Ellicott; then resigned
William C. BouckMarch 21, 1821February 22, 1840Dem.-Rep./Bucktails/Dem.
Jonas Earll, Jr.May 1831February 22, 1840Democraticappointed by the Governor in place of Seymour, then elected by the State Legislature on January 9, 1832, to succeed himself
Michael HoffmanApril 4, 1833May 6, 1835Democraticresigned
Heman Judd RedfieldMay 9, 1835Democraticelected by the State Legislature in place of Hoffman, but declined to take office
John BowmanMay 1835February 22, 1840Democraticappointed by the Governor in place of Redfield, then elected by the State Legislature on January 9, 1836 to succeed himself
William BakerMay 25, 1836February 22, 1840Democratic
Samuel B. RugglesFebruary 18, 1839February 8, 1842Whigelected by the State Legislature in place of Van Rensselaer
David HudsonFebruary 22, 1840February 8, 1842Whig
Simon Newton DexterFebruary 22, 1840February 8, 1842Whig
Henry HamiltonFebruary 22, 1840February 8, 1842Whig
George H. BoughtonFebruary 22, 1840February 8, 1842Whig
Asa WhitneyFebruary 22, 1840February 8, 1842Whig
Stephen ClarkFebruary 8, 1842May 6, 1844Democraticlegislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844
James HookerFebruary 8, 1842May 6, 1844Democraticlegislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844
Benjamin EnosFebruary 8, 1842February 3, 1845Democraticlegislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844
George W. LittleFebruary 8, 1842February 3, 1845Democraticlegislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844
Jonas Earll, Jr.February 8, 1842October 28, 1846Democraticsecond term; legislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844, re-elected to a two-year term; died in office
Daniel P. BissellFebruary 8, 1842December 31, 1847Democraticlegislated out of office by Act of May 6, 1844, then re-elected to a four-year term, then legislated out of office by the Constitution of 1846
Nathaniel JonesFebruary 3, 1845November 1, 1847Democraticelected in November 1844 to a two-year term; the Constitution of 1846 extended his term until December 31, 1847; then resigned
Stephen ClarkFebruary 3, 1845December 31, 1847Democraticsecond term; elected in November 1844 to a four-year term; legislated out of office by the Constitution of 1846
John T. HudsonDecember 3, 1846December 31, 1847Democraticappointed by the Governor in place of Earll to fill the vacancy
Thomas ClowesNovember 15, 1847December 31, 1847Whigelected by the State Legislature in place of Jones to fill the vacancy
Nelson J. BeachJanuary 1, 1848December 31, 1849Whig/Anti-Rentelected in November 1847, drew the two-year term
Jacob HindsJanuary 1, 1848December 31, 1850Whig/Anti-Rentelected in November 1847, drew the three-year term
Charles CookJanuary 1, 1848December 31, 1851Whigelected in November 1847, drew the one-year term; then re-elected to a full term
Frederick FollettJanuary 1, 1850December 31, 1855Democratictwo terms
John C. MatherJanuary 1, 1851December 31, 1853Democraticimpeached by the State Assembly in 1853, acquitted by the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments
Henry FitzhughJanuary 1, 1852December 31, 1857Whigtwo terms
Cornelius GardinierJanuary 1, 1854December 31, 1856Whig
Samuel S. WhallonJanuary 1, 1856July 6, 1858Americandied in office
Charles H. SherrillJanuary 1, 1857December 31, 1859Republican
John M. JaycoxJanuary 1, 1858December 31, 1860Democratic
Samuel B. RugglesJuly 1858December 31, 1858Republicanappointed by the Governor in place of Whallon to fill vacancy
Hiram GardnerJanuary 1, 1859December 31, 1861Republican
William I. SkinnerJanuary 1, 1860December 31, 1865Democratictwo terms
Benjamin F. BruceJanuary 16, 1861December 31, 1861Republicanelected by the State Legislature to fill vacancy caused by the death of Samuel H. Barnes who had been elected on November 6, 1860, but died on November 13
William W. WrightJanuary 1, 1862December 31, 1863Democraticsucceeding Bruce, elected for the remainder of Barnes's term
Franklin A. AlbergerJanuary 1, 1862December 31, 1867Uniontwo terms
Benjamin F. BruceJanuary 1, 1864December 31, 1866Unionsecond term
Robert C. DornJanuary 1, 1866December 31, 1868Republicanimpeached by the State Assembly in 1868, acquitted by the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments
Stephen T. HaytJanuary 1, 1867December 31, 1869Republican
John D. FayJanuary 1, 1868December 31, 1873Democratictwo terms
Oliver BascomJanuary 1, 1869November 7, 1869Democraticdied in office
George W. ChapmanNovember 1869December 31, 1871Democraticappointed by the Governor in place of Bascom to fill vacancy, then elected for the remainder of Bascom's term
William W. WrightJanuary 1, 1870December 31, 1872Democraticsecond term
Alexander BarkleyJanuary 1, 1872December 31, 1874Republican
Reuben W. StroudJanuary 1, 1873December 2, 1875Republicandied in office; son-in-law of Benjamin F. Bruce
James Jackson, Jr.January 1, 1874December 31, 1876Democratic
Adin ThayerJanuary 1, 1875December 31, 1877DemocraticNo successor was elected at the previous State Election, but Thayer's term was deemed to have expired, and he was not holding over until the appointment of a Superintendent of Public Works.
Christopher A. WalrathDecember 1875February 8, 1878Democraticappointed by the Governor in place of Stroud to fill the vacancy, then took office for his elected term, then legislated out of office, office abolished and responsibilities taken over by Superintendent of Public Works
Darius A. OgdenJanuary 1, 1877February 8, 1878Democraticlegislated out of office, office abolished and responsibilities taken over by Superintendent of Public Works