PRINCETON — Resuming our look at the history of Mercer County, courtesy of Kyle McCormick’s “The Story of Mercer County,” (Charleston Publishing Co. 1957) and the signers of the Declaration of Independence, courtesy of Benson J. Lossing’s book “Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” which is a reprint of the 1848 original kindly provided on loan by Dr. O.J. Bailes, we now turn to a history of newspapers in Mercer County.

The former Princeton Journal, which had been taken to Bluefield by H.C. Kitts in 1893, returned within a few years and underwent a number of ownership changes. Thomas Sutherland, I.F. Sanders, John Dangerfield, who turned it into a Republican newspaper and attorney, J.H. Gadd all had their turns with it, along with Howe Barger, a member of the Barger family of Princeton.

Father and son W.C. and Charles Hedrick operated the Mercer Hornet, at Athens and also in Bramwell, and were in business in Princeton.

Lawyer A.O. Firth, who later moved to Blacksburg, Va., operated the Democratic paper in Princeton, named the Princeton Progress.

Turning to the Lossing book, we focus on a man who didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, but was important in framing the document. Robert R. Livingston, the descendant of Scottish nobility whose great-grandfather emigrated to America in 1678, was born in New York City in 1747.

He was educated at King’s College (now Columbia University), graduating with honors at the age of 17. He then entered the study of law under a Mr. Smith, subsequently a Chief Justice of Canada and a historian of New York.

Livingston, soon after getting his license as attorney and counselor, was appointed Recorder of the city of New York. At that time (1771), feelings against the British Government were strong and general and Livingston, like his father, warmly embraced the patriot cause, to the point that they were both removed from office.

In 1775, he was elected to the Continental Congress and re-elected in 1776. His brother-in-law, General Montgomery, died in an unsuccessful expedition to take Quebec City in Canada. He took part in the debates on Richard Henry Lee’s   motion for independence from Britain and was placed on the committee which drew up the document and was present when it was adopted.

Livingston’s ‘ biographers are silent as to why he did not sign the Declaration he helped draw up.Lossing speculated that the Assembly of New York did not approve such a strong measure and he followed their will.However, they gave their sanction  on July 12.

His failure to sign the Declaration did not affect Livingston’s place among the Founding Fathers. He was elected to the convention which drew up a new constitution for New York State. He also served alternately in Congress and the New York legislature from 1775 to 1781, when he was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation. He served in that capacity until 1783.

In 1783, he was  appointed Chancellor of the State of New York, the first under the new state constitution. He served in the 1788 convention for New York to approve the U.S. Constitution, being an enthusiastic supporter of ratification.

In 1789, Livingston administered the oath of office to President George Washington in his capacity as Chancellor of New York.

President Thomas Jefferson appointed Livingston ambassador to France in 1801. He, along with James Monroe, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, signing the treaty in April, 1802. While in Europe, he indulged and cultivated his taste for literature and fine art, sending back to the American Academy of Fine Arts, established in New York in 1801, a collection of antique busts and statues.

He was also a supporter of science, being one of the advocates of Robert Fulton’s steamboat experiments and introducing gypsum as fertilizer and clover grass as part of his agricultural pursuits.

Livingston remained active in public life until a year or so before his death, which occurred at Clermont, N.Y. on February 26, 1813, age 65.

To comment on this column write to me care of Mercer County Memories at P.O. Box 1199, Princeton, WV 24740 or e-mail me at delimartman@yahoo.com.