In 1809, he was elected a U.S. Senator from New York.[1] He served one term, March 4, 1809, to March 3, 1815, and was not a candidate for reelection.[1] German was known as a critic of the lack of military preparations made in advance of the War of 1812, and voted against the declaration of war.[2] In 1812, German was one of the founding trustees of Hamilton College.[3] He was First Judge of the Chenango County Court from 1814 to 1819.[1] He was also a State militia officer, eventually becoming a major general.[1]
Supporting DeWitt Clinton's Erie Canal project, German took part in planning and overseeing its construction after being appointed to the state Public Works Commission in 1817.[4] German returned to the Assembly in 1819 as a member of the Clintonian faction of the Democratic-Republican Party and was chosen to serve as Speaker.[2] Afterwards he resumed the practice of law. German became a Whig when that party was organized.[1]
Albert was an innkeeper in Norwich before moving to Ohio.[5]
Walter, who succeeded his father in the family's Norwich mercantile business.[5] He served as a militia captain during the War of 1812[7] and became insolvent after his business failed in 1820.[8]
Julia, who was the wife of Stephen Anderson of Norwich, and later resided in Wisconsin.[5]
Maria (d. 1876), who was the wife of Reverend George Harmon and resided in Wisconsin and Ohio.[9]
After the death of his first wife, he married Mary Ann Knight.[5] The couple had two sons. Mary Ann moved to Syracuse with their sons when they were young, while Obadiah continued to live in Norwich.[5]
Widow
Obadiah German's widow Mary Ann Knight claimed to have been defrauded by her brother (some accounts say German's brother) of German's $70,000 estate (about $1.7 million in 2014).[10] She took up residence in Syracuse and became a public charge after being found "in a state of great destitution", her efforts at earning a living through painting and "fancy work" having failed.[10] Her claim to be German's widow was not believed in Syracuse until it was confirmed after her death.[10]
German is one of approximately 50 former senators for whom the U.S. Senate's photo historian has no likeness on file.[12] Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.[12]
^Methodist Episcopal Church (1876). "Memorial: Mrs. Maria Harmon". Minutes of the Ninth Session of the Annual New York Conference. Ithaca, NY: Andrus, McChain & Co. p. 74 – via Google Books.
