Elias Dayton

Elias Dayton ( born May 1, 1737 Elizabethtown, New Jersey; † October 22, 1807 ) was an American general and the father of the politician Jonathan Dayton.

Life

During the French and Indian War, he served first as lieutenant and later as captain of the army from New Jersey. During the Pontiac Rebellion in 1760 he was a commander in the Detroit region. After the wars he returned to Elizabethtown, New Jersey and was colonial officials and traders. 1774 requested the First Continental Congress, the colonies to defend themselves against the new tax policy of Parliament, by a one-year export and import barrier against Great Britain was charged. Dayton served the Committee Elizabeth Towns and joined the local revolutionary movement. As the tide turned against the 1775 Royal Governor William Franklin, New Jersey Provincial Congress Elias Dayton decided to set up as the leader of the third regiment New Jersey. In the spring of 1776, he and his troops were (including his son Jonathan ) deploys to support an invasion of Canada, but were ultimately sent to New York to protect the local Mohawk Valley before the Indian invaders. Dayton was responsible for constructing the reinforcements. These reinforcements included Fort Dayton, which Herkimer, New York is today. In December 1778, he was elected to the Continental Congress, but this was only until May, 1779. Dayton returned to his retirement from the army back to Elizabethtown. He was from 1791 to 1792 and from 1794 to 1796 member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1796 to 1805 and had the office of mayor of Elizabethtown held. He died at the age of 70 in his hometown and was buried in the First Presbyterian Cemetery in Elizabethtown.