Formerly from the colony of New York, William Livingston was an established lawyer, acclaimed writer, and political propagandist. Upon his retirement to New Jersey, Livingston was swept up into political upheaval of the American Revolution and was elected the first Governor of New Jersey in 1776. Although his responsibilities in public office were numerous, some of his largest contributions to the colonial cause were through his anonymous polemical essays.

Livingston was not a novice in terms of presenting his political ideologies to a larger public sphere and frequently utilized local newspapers in order to present his ideas in which he both encouraged and challenged citizens’ opinions on eighteenth-century bureaucracy. One such example includes his poem titled Philosophic Solitude The Choice of a Rural Life published anonymously by “A Gentlemen educated at Yale College” by James Parker in 1747 where Livingston criticized the political and public life of colonial New York and wrote how he aspired for a rural life, away from the political lifestyle he abhorred. In 1752, Livingston founded The Independent Reflector with his colleagues; John Morin Scott and William Smith, Jr. The Independent Reflector was a weekly journal that challenged the political, religious, and educational history of New York. Livingston argued in favor of key enlightenment ideals that echoed the Lockean social contract he was introduced to as a student at Yale College in the 1740s such as; anti-clericalism, local government, education, separation of church and state, and religious toleration; key issues that foreshadowed the Revolutionary debate. Later in the 1760s, Livingston published anonymous essays in a variety of columns including The Sentinel, with William Peartree Smith, and The American Whig where he argued against British imperial policies on the basis of unconstitutional measures. His Sentinel essays played a crucial role in New York’s response to Parliamentary reform during the Stamp Act Crisis of 1765.

Livingston retired to New Jersey in 1772 but was quickly swept up in Revolutionary Politics at the First and Second Continental Congresses where the debate for Independence transpired. Livingston earned notable positions on a number of committees where he assisted in drafting an Address to the People of Ireland in June 1775 and The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms in July 1775. After leaving Congress in June of 1776, Livingston returned to his position as Brigadier General of the New Jersey Militia until he was elected the first governor of New Jersey on August 31, 1776.

Throughout his time in New Jersey and tenure as Governor, as well as throughout much of his earlier life, William Livingston was also a prolific author of personal correspondence. Frequenting persons such as George Washington and many other colonial leaders, Livingston regularly sent and received letters as he traveled back and forth across the State during the American Revolution. He also corresponded often with various members of his family, including many to and from his wife, Susannah French Livingston.

With his newfound role as governor, Livingston faced many challenges. At the forefront was leading the citizens of New Jersey towards independence despite subversive loyalism embedded within the state. Livingston knew how influential the press was and realized the immense importance of providing New Jersey with its own periodical. In October 1777, Livingston approached the New Jersey Assembly and insisted it was to the state’s advantage to have its own circulating newspaper. Prior to this, New Jersey relied heavily on newspapers from its neighboring colonies of Philadelphia and New York, both of which were occupied by the British. The resulting publications were comprised of articles in support of Great Britain and were riddled with misinformation regarding the Continental Army and General Washington. Livingston worked with Quaker printer, Isaac Collins, and established New Jersey’s first newspaper, The New Jersey Gazette in December 1777. Livingston’s proclamations and speeches were published in the newspaper as well as his anonymous propaganda essays that he provided in order to garnish support for the colonial cause. Livingston contributed a significant number of essays, especially noted from 1777-1779, in which he signed under various pen names including Hortentius, Cato, De Lisle, Patkul, Belinda, America’s True Friend, and A True Patriot. Under the varied pennames, Livingston was able to conceal his identity and at the same time reach a broader audience.

Livingston recognized the importance of newspapers and pamphlets on citizens’ perceptions surrounding the cause for Independence and their relationship with Great Britain. He understood crowd mentality and how newspapers and eighteenth-century media influenced colonists’ perceptions. By aiming his satirical pen at the corrupt and oppressive British Monarch and writing prose in support of the colonial cause, Livingston motivated New Jersey to support the Continental Army and defined the movement of the Revolution.