Legislator Details
Vital Records Information:
Marital Information:
married Matilda Spencer Cass (a daughter of General Lewis Cass) in 1839; children: 4, Henry B., Mrs. Francis Goddard, Lewis C. and Matilda Spencer
Number of Children: 4
Background
Education:
entered Columbia College, 1828 and graduated
Biographical Sketch:
Son of Col. Ledyard of the Revolutionary War; grandson of Chancellor Livingstone.
Studied law; admitted to the bar and practiced for about a year. He became Secretary of the American Legation in Paris. He went to Paris with Lewis Cass in 1836. He was Charge d'Affaires until 1844 when he returned to Detroit and assumed the affairs of L. Cass. He was one of the original incorporators of the Detroit & Milwaukee Railway. he made many investments in infrastructure that helped the region grow. helped design and landscape Elmwood Cemetery. Served as a member of the School Board, 1846-7. Alderman of his ward, 1849-50, and one of the first members of the Board of Water Commissioners, organized in 1853. Elected mayor of Detroit in 1854 and encouraged street paving in the city. He went to Washington in 1857 as Asst. Secretary of State. He removed to Newport, RI in 1861.
Notable Facts:
Detroit Free Press article says he died in Nice, Italy; MIBiog says London.