Important People
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton - DeWitt Clinton, one of the greatest proponents of the Erie Canal, was mostly responsible for the construction of the canal.. This project was said to be impossible, and opponents nicknamed the canal "Clinton's Ditch". Clinton proved them wrong when he had completed the Canal in 1825.
An oil painting of DeWitt Clinton by Rembrandt Peale
Gouvernor Morris
Governor Morris - Governor Morris was the chairman of the canal commission, though most of the leadership of the commission was in the hands of Clinton. He is a Founding Father who previously had spent most of his political career in the US Senate.
Portrait of Gouverneur Morris by James Sharples.
Thomas Eddy
Thomas Eddy - Thomas Eddy was the treasurer of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, whose purpose was developing a navigable route up the Mohawk River to Lake Ontario. After suffering financial trouble, he, along with friend Jonas Platt, founded the canal
An etched potrait of Thomas Eddy - From the New York Public Library. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
James Geddes
James Geddes - James Geddes was a prominent engineer, surveyor, New York State legislature and U.S. Congressman who was instrumental in the planning of the Erie Canal.
Engraved image of James Geddes - collection of the Onondaga Historical Association, 321 Montgomery Street