Sam Wilson, who lived from 1766 to 1854, was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, and became a citizen of Troy, New York. He was one of the prime movers for the incorporation of Troy as a village in 1794 and as a city in 1816. The U.S. figure of Uncle Sam originated during the War of 1812 and became identified with Sam Wilson, remembered as Troy's citizen and America's Uncle, with the saying, "The Big Thing is Not What Happens to Us in Life - But What We Do About What Happens to Us."