Samuel Livingston Breese was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. His active-duty career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War.

The Livingston family of New York is a prominent family that migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic, and then to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from the 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Several members were Lords of Livingston Manor and Clermont Manor, located along the Hudson River in 18th-century eastern New York.