Livingston was born on December 24, 1712, in Kingston in the Province of New York, a part of British America.

[4][5] During the American Revolutionary War, Livingston was a prominent Loyalist who fought with the British Army, reaching the rank of Major.

Together, they were the parents of:[2] Livingston died on August 27, 1789, in Poughkeepsie, New York "after a tedious illness at an advanced age".

[2] Through his daughter Helen, he was a grandfather of Helen Livingston Hake (1773–1807), who married Frederic de Peyster and was the mother of New York City lawyer Frederic de Peyster.

[6] Through his son Gilbert Robert, he was a great-grandfather of Gilbert Livingston Beeckman, a prominent New York merchant who was the father of Robert Livingston Beeckman, who served as the Governor of Rhode Island.