Another of the committee of five who were responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence (along with Jefferson, Franklin, John Adams, and Sherman) Robert Livingston never signed the document, being away from Philadelphia at the time of signing. Livingston was a New York attorney and judge who served as the state’s Chancellor, its highest ranking judicial authority. In that role it was he who administered the oath of office to President George Washington in 1789. Livingston developed into an opponent of the Federalist Party as it emerged, and aligned himself with the Democratic-Republicans supporting Jefferson.
When Jefferson entered office as President he appointed Livingston as the United States Minister to France, then ruled under First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. It was Livingston who negotiated the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. Napoleon was motivated by the need to fund his military as it became apparent that another war with England was imminent. When the United States offered to purchase the port of New Orleans in order to obtain access to the sea for its growing river cities of Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Louisville, Napoleon offered to sell the entire territory he had taken from Spain.
