The answer is "Clinton"
DeWitt Clinton was a New York state governor who favored the building of the Erie Canal. Clinton was part of the Erie Canal Commission, which was a group of individuals who studied the route/place where the Erie Canal would be built. This process of evaluating the territory took over a decade.
However, after the investigation, Clinton was able to use facts/information to support his claim that the Erie Canal would result in a positive economic effect for New York and the East coast in general.
