Governor in 1785-87 and 1794-96. Edward Rutledge, tenth Governor
(1798-1800), is already noticed under the Signers of the Declaration
of Independence. "No measure of importance was adopted by the
legislature without his taking part in it, while many originated with
himself." Andrew Pickens, (1779-1838), nineteenth Governor (1816-18),
was a son of Andrew Pickens, the noted Revolutionary general. John
Geddes (1777-1828), twentieth Governor (1818-20), was of Scottish
descent. Stephen Decatur Miller (1787-1838), twenty-fifth Governor
(1828-30), also served as United States Senator. George McDuffie
(1790-1851), twenty-eighth Governor, the greatest orator and statesman
of Georgia, was of Scottish parentage on both sides. McDuffie County
in Georgia is so named in his honor. Patrick Noble (1787-1840),
thirtieth Governor (1838-40), was grandson of an Ulster Scot
immigrant. Robert Kingston Scott (1826-1900), forty-fifth Governor
(1868-72), was the grandson or great-grandson of a refugee from
Culloden.
GEORGIA. David Brodie Mitchell (1766-1837), ninth Governor (1809-11,
1815-17), was born in Scotland. He was described as "a conscientious,
cultured, and conservative man, of great energy, public spirit, and
animated by the purest patriotism." George McIntosh Troup (1780-1856),
the "Hercules of State Rights," fourteenth Governor (1823-27), was of
Scottish descent on both sides. He was one of Georgia's most
illustrious Chief Magistrates. A county in the state is named after
him. John Forsyth (1780-1841), fifteenth Governor (1827-29), was also
United States Secretary of State. George Rockingham Gilmer
(1790-1859), sixteenth Governor (1829-31, 1837-39), was the grandson
of a Scottish physician, Dr. George Gilmer. He was also Member of
Congress. He also wrote a work, "Georgians," 1855, containing much
valuable matter relating to the early settlers of his state. Charles
James McDonald (1793-1860), nineteenth Governor (1839-43), and George
Washington Crawford (1798-1872), twentieth Governor (1843-47), were
both of Scottish descent. James Johnson, twenty-fifth Governor (1861),
was grandson of a Scottish immigrant. He rendered great service to his
state in its reconstruction after the war. Alexander Hamilton Stephens
(1812-83), grandson of an adherent of Prince Charles Edward, was
Vice-President of the Confederacy (1861-65), chief Confederate
Commissioner in the Hampton Roads Conference in February, 1865, Member
of Congress from Georgia (1873-82), Governor of the state (1883), and
author of "The War Between the States" (1868-70) and of a "History of
the United States" (1883). John Brown Gordon (1832-1904), thirty-fifth
Governor (1886-90), was the great-grandson of one of seven brothers
who emigrated from Scotland, all of whom served in the Revolutionary
Army. As Governor his administration was faultless, and the New York
Sun declared his inauguration "worthy of Thomas Jefferson."
FLORIDA. Francis Philip Fleming (b. 1841), fourteenth Governor
(1889-93), was of Scottish descent. Alexander Walker Gilchrist,
nineteenth Governor (1909), a descendant of Nimrod Gilchrist, who came
from Glasgow in 1750.
ALABAMA. Israel Pickens (1780-1827), third Governor (1821-25),
Democratic Member of Congress from North Carolina (1811-17), United
States Senator (1826), was of Scottish descent. Reuben Chapman
(1802-82), eleventh Governor (1847-49), was also of Scottish ancestry.
Robert Miller Patton (1809-85), seventeenth Governor (1865-68), was
Ulster Scot on his father's side and Scottish on his mother's. Robert
Burns Lindsay, born in Dumfriesshire in 1824, a linguist and a
scholar, educated at the University of St. Andrews, was nineteenth
Governor (1870-72). George Smith Houston (1811-79), twenty-first
Governor, and Joseph Forney Johnston (b. 1843), twenty-seventh
Governor (1896-1900), were both of Scottish descent.
TENNESSEE. Joseph McMinn (d. 1824), fifth Governor (1815-21), was most
probably of Scottish descent. Samuel Houston, seventh Governor
(1827-28), is noticed under Texas. Neil S. Brown, fourteenth Governor
(1847-49), was grandson of Angus Brown, a Scot who fought in the
Revolutionary War under Gen. Francis Marion. William Bowen Campbell
(1807-67), sixteenth Governor (1851-53), was also of Scottish descent.
Benton McMillin (b. 1845), Governor (1899-1903), Envoy-Extraordinary
and Minister-Plenipotentiary to Peru in 1913, of Ulster Scot descent.
KENTUCKY. John Adair (1797-1840), eighth Governor (1820-24), was of
Scottish parentage. "His term was marked by great legislative
activity for the promotion of education in the state, and by the
abolition of imprisonment for debt." The state library was founded
under his auspices. Adair county was so named in his honor. John
Breathitt (1786-1834), Lieutenant-Governor (1828-32), and eleventh
Governor (1832-34), was the son of a Scottish emigrant. "A man of high
character and his public career irreproachable." Breathitt county was
named after him. James Fisher Robinson (1800-92), twenty-second
Governor, was of English and Scottish descent.
OHIO. Duncan McArthur (1772-1840), an early Governor (1830-32), was of
Scottish ancestry. He also held the rank of General in the war of
1812. Jeremiah Morrow (1770-1852), Governor (1822-26), and Allen
Trimble (1783-1870), Governor (1826-30), were both Ulster Scot
descent. James E. Campbell (b. 1843), Governor (1890-92), was
previously Member of Congress. James M. Cox (b. 1870), forty-sixth
Governor (1913-15) is of Scottish ancestry.
INDIANA. Noah Noble, fifth Governor (1831-37), was grandson of a
Scottish immigrant. David Wallace (1799-1859), sixth Governor
(1837-40), and Samuel Bigger (1802-46), were also of Scottish
ancestry. Thomas Andrews Hendricks, Governor from 1873 to 1877, is
already noticed under Vice-Presidents.
MICHIGAN. Robert McClelland (1807-80), Governor (1851-53), afterwards
Secretary of the Interior; and Austin Blair (1814-94), war Governor,
who sent over 83,000 soldiers from his state during the Civil War,
were both of Scottish ancestry.
WISCONSIN. The mother of Henry Dodge, first and fourth Governor
(1836-41, 1845-48), was Anne Nancy Hunter, of Ulster Scot parentage.
William E. Smith (1824-83), thirteenth Governor (1878-82), was born in
Scotland.
ILLINOIS. William Lee Davidson Ewing (1795-1846), Senator and acting
Governor (1834), was of Ulster Scot descent. Joseph Duncan
(1794-1844), fifth Governor (1834-38), who greatly encouraged
education in his state, was of Scottish ancestry. John Lourie
Beveridge (b. 1824) fifteenth Governor, was grandson of a Scot who
came to the United States about 1770. His "administration was
vigorous, just, and impartial."
MISSISSIPPI. John J. McRae (1815-68), nineteenth Governor (1854-58),
was of Scottish descent. William McWillie (1795-1869), twentieth
Governor (1858-60), and Anselm Joseph McLaurin (b. 1848),
thirty-second Governor (1896-1900), were-both grandsons of Scots.
LOUISIANA. John McEnery (1833-91), nineteenth (unrecognized) Governor
(1873), was of Scottish descent. Samuel Douglas McEnery (b. 1837),
brother of the preceding, was twenty-second Governor (1881-88). John
Newton Pharr (1829-1903), elected Governor in 1896 but not seated on
account of the negro question, was descended from Walter Pharr who
came from Scotland in 1765.
MISSOURI. Alexander McNair (1774-1826), first state Governor
(1820-24), most probably was of Scottish birth or descent. Trusten
Polk (1811-76), of same origin as President Polk, was eleventh
Governor (1857). Benjamin Gratz Brown (1826-85), also of Scottish
descent, was Governor from 1871 to 1873, and unsuccessful candidate
for Vice-President in 1872.
IOWA. John Chambers (1780-1852), second Governor of the territory of
Iowa was of Scottish descent on both sides. James Wilson Grimes
(1816-72), third Governor (1854-58), was of Ulster Scot descent.
Samuel Jordan Kirkwood (1813-94), three times Governor of his state
(1860-64, 1876-77), was descended from a brother of Captain Robert
Kirkwood, a Delaware soldier of the Revolution. He was also Secretary
of the Interior under Garfield. John Henry Gear (1825-1900), eleventh
Governor (1878-82), Assitsant Secretary of United States Treasury
(1892-93), and Senator (1895-1900), was of Scottish ancestry. Albert
Baird Cummins, eighteenth Governor, of Ulster Scot ancestry.
MINNESOTA. Alexander Ramsey, first territorial and second state
Governor (1849-53, 1860-64), was grandson of an Ulster Scot who served
in the Revolutionary War.
NEBRASKA. James E. Boyd (b. 1834), eighth Governor (1891-92), was born
in county Tyrone of Ulster Scot ancestry.
KANSAS. John Alexander Martin (1839-89), ninth Governor (1885-89), was
of Ulster Scot descent.
TEXAS. Samuel Houston (1793-1863) was a descendant of John Houston who
settled in Philadelphia in 1689. He was Member of Congress from
Tennessee (1823-27), Governor of Tennessee (1827-28), and as
Commander-in-Chief of the Texans he defeated the Mexicans under Santa
Anna in 1836 on the banks of the San Jacinto, and by this one blow
achieved the independence of Texas. He was elected first President of
the new republic in the same year, was re-elected in 1841, and in 1859
was elected Governor of the state. Houston, the capital of Harris
County, Texas, was named in his honor. Peter Hansborough Bell
(1812-98), third Governor (1849-53), was of Ulster Scot ancestry, as
was also James Edward Ferguson (b. 1871). James Stephen Hogg,
nineteenth Governor and Thomas Mitchell Campbell, twenty-third
Governor, were of Scottish descent.
COLORADO. Edward Moody McCook, fifth and seventh Governor (1869-73,
1874-75), was of Scottish descent. He also served in the Civil War and
attained the rank of Brigadier-General. James Benton Grant, tenth
Governor (1883-85), was grandson of a Scottish immigrant. Jesse Fuller
McDonald, twenty-third Governor (1905-07), a descendant of James
McDonald who emigrated from Scotland early in the eighteenth century
and settled in Maine.
WYOMING. Thomas Moonlight (1833-99), sixth territorial Governor
(1887-90), was born in Forfarshire.
UTAH. Eli Houston Murray (b. 1841), Governor (1880-84), of Scottish
ancestry.
IDAHO. John Henry Brady (b. 1862), eighth Governor (1910-11), is of
Ulster Scot descent. David P. Thompson, ninth Governor of the state
(1874-76), also of Ulster Scot descent, built the first railroad in
Oregon, and was twice Mayor of Portland.
SOUTH DAKOTA. Corie Isaac Crawford, sixth Governor (1907-08) is of
Ulster Scot descent.
CALIFORNIA. John McDougall (1818-66) was Lieutenant-Governor (1849)
and afterwards Governor. Peter Hardeman Burnett (b. 1807) was first
Governor of the state (1849-51). Both were of Scottish origin.
OREGON. James Shields, first territorial Governor (1848), was born in
Dungannon, County Tyrone, of Ulster Scot parentage. George Abernethy
(1807-77), territorial Governor (1845-49), was born in New York city
of Scottish parentage. "As a governor he was patriotic, efficient, and
unselfish."
SCOTS IN THE ARMY
REVOLUTION. Alexander MacDougall (1731-86), born in Islay,
successively Colonel, Brigadier-General, and Major-General in the
Revolutionary War, and later Delegate to the Continental Congress in
1780 and 1784, was described by Washington as "a brave soldier and
distinguished patriot." Before the outbreak of the war he was a
successful merchant, a leader of the "Sons of Liberty," and was the
first American imprisoned for his utterances in behalf of
independence. Macdougal Street, New York city, commemorates his name.
Robert Erskine (1735-1780), geographer and Chief of Engineers on the
staff of Washington, was a son of Rev. Ralph Erskine of Dunfermline.
Washington erected a stone over his grave at Ringwood, New Jersey.
Henry Knox (1750-1806), General of Artillery and Secretary of War
(1785-95). Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Clough Anderson (1750-1826) was
grandson of a Scottish emigrant. General James Ewing (c. 1736-1806),
of Ulster Scot descent, served in Braddock's campaign and also during
the Revolution. General William Wirt Henry was descended from an
Ulster Scot who came between 1718 and 1722 to Massachusetts. General
Richard Montgomery (1736-75), a descendant of the Montgomeries of
Ayrshire, was killed while leading the attack on Quebec; and Major
John Macpherson (1754-75), of Scots parentage, killed beside
Montgomery, was the first soldier of prominence from Pennsylvania to
be killed in the war. Bancroft calls him "the pure-minded, youthful
enthusiast for liberty." Colonel Allan McLane (1746-1829), of Scottish
origin, repeatedly referred to in Dr. Weir Mitchell's "Hugh Wynne,"
was one of the "Rough Riders" who patrolled the country around
Philadelphia to prevent provisions reaching the British troops in the
city. His flight and escape from the British in one of these raids was
the subject of a painting by James Peale. General Hugh Mercer (c.
1725-1777), born in Aberdeen, died of wounds received at the battle of
Princeton, also served with distinction in the Braddock and Forbes
campaigns in western Pennsylvania. His life was a strenuous one, full
of exacting and unselfish work for others, and as Judge Goolrick says
in his "Life of Mercer," he "is entitled to the gratitude of all
liberty-loving America." Mercer county, New Jersey, was named in his
honor. John Armstrong (1725-95), born in the North of Ireland of
Scottish ancestry, served in the French and Indian War (1755-56), was
Brigadier-General in the Continental Army (1776-77), and Delegate to
the Continental Congress (1778-80, 1787-88). Colonel James Livingston
(1747-1832), by his timely shot drove the British warship "Vulture"
from her anchorage in the North River "thus securing the capture of
André, effecting the discomfiture of Arnold's treason, and assuring
the safety of West Point, the key of the Revolution." James Chrystie
(1750-1807), born in or near Edinburgh, joined the Revolutionary Army
and served with high reputation till the end of the war. On the
discovery of Arnold's plot at West Point he was entrusted with a
delicate mission by Washington, which he executed successfully. His
son, Lieutenant-Colonel James Chrystie, earned a name for himself at
the Battle of Queenstown in the war of 1812. William Davidson
(1746-1781), born in Pennsylvania of Scottish parentage or descent,
was a Brigadier-General in the Revolutionary Army, and was killed in
the fight at the ford over Catawba River, January 31, 1781. Congress
voted five hundred dollars for a monument to his memory, and Davidson
College, North Carolina, is named in his honor. General William
Macpherson (1756-1813), born in Philadelphia of Scottish parents, was
in the British service at the time of the Revolution, but resigned and
joined the colonies, and served faithfully under Washington. Major
Robert Kirkwood was killed in the battle against the Miami Indians in
1792, the thirty-third time he had risked his life for his country.
Lachlan McIntosh (1727-1806), of the family of MacIntosh of Borlum,
was born in Badenoch, Inverness-shire, and came to America with his
father who settled in Georgia. He volunteered his services on the
outbreak of the Revolution, becoming General in 1776. He was second in
command at Savannah and took part in the defence of Charleston.
McIntosh county, Georgia, is named after his family, "whose members
have illustrated the state, in both field and forum, since the days of
Oglethorpe." William Moultrie (1731-1805), born in England or South
Carolina, son of the Scottish physician, Dr. John Moultrie, ancestor
of the Moultries of South Carolina, repulsed the attack on Sullivan's
Island in 1776 and defended Charleston in 1779. Fort Moultrie was
named in his honor. Andrew Pickens (1739-1817), of Scottish parentage,
was noted as a partizan commander in South Carolina (1779-81), served
with distinction at Cowpens in 1781, and captured Atlanta, Georgia, in
the same year. Pickens county, Georgia, bears his name. John Stark
(1728-1822), one of the most noted Generals of the Revolution, serving
with distinction in several campaigns, was a member of the Court
Martial which condemned Major André. Arthur St. Clair (1734-1818),
born at Thurso, Caithness, took part in many battles of the
Revolution, was President of Congress in 1787, and Governor of the
Northwest Territory (1789-1802). William Alexander (1726-83), titular
Lord Stirling, born in Albany of Scottish parentage, commanded a
Brigade at the Battle of Long Island, and also served at Trenton,
Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. John Paterson (1744-1808),
grandson of a Dumfriesshire emigrant, took part in many battles of the
Revolution, commissioned Major-General in 1783, the youngest one of
that rank in the army, and was one of the organizers of the Society of
Cincinnati. General Daniel Stewart was another patriot of the
Revolution. A county in Georgia is named in his honor.
MEXICAN WAR. Winfield Scott (1786-1866), grandson of a Scot who fought
at Culloden, was born in Virginia, and entered the army in 1808. He
served with great ability in the War of 1812, later became
Major-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Army in 1841. During the
war with Mexico he held chief command of the Army, and became
Lieutenant-General in 1847. John Munroe (c. 1796-1861), born in
Ross-shire, entered the United States Army, saw service against the
Florida Indians, became Chief of Artillery under General Zachary
Taylor in the Mexican War, and was subsequently Military and Civil
Governor of New Mexico (1849-50). James Bowie (1795-1836), of Scottish
descent and of "Bowie-knife" celebrity, took part in the Texan
Revolution and was killed at the Alamo in 1836. Bowie county and the
town of Bowie in Montague county, Texas, perpetuate his name. The
Bowies were a prominent family in Maryland, occupying high positions
in politics, jurisprudence, and society.
CIVIL WAR. General David Bell Birney (1825-64), son of James Gillespie
Birney, served with distinction in the Army of the Potomac. General
Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-81), later Governor of Rhode Island
(1867-69), and United States Senator (1875-81), was grandson of a Scot
who emigrated to South Carolina at end of the eighteenth century.
Samuel Wylie Crawford (1829-92), of Scottish ancestry, was brevetted
Major-General of Volunteers for conspicuous gallantry, and wrote
"Genesis of the Civil War" (1887). Major-General Thomas Ewing
(1829-96), was descendant of Thomas Ewing who emigrated to New Jersey
in 1715. James Lorraine Geddes (1829-87), born in Edinburgh, brevetted
Brigadier-General for his services, was also a poet, and wrote "The
Soldier's Battle Prayer," "The Stars and Stripes," etc. John Brown
Gordon (1832-1904), Lieutenant-General in the Confederate Army and
later Governor of Georgia, was descendant of John George Gordon and
his wife Mary Chapman, emigrants from Scotland. General Charles Smith
Hamilton (1822-96), of Scottish descent, also served with distinction
in the Mexican War. General Grant ascribed the success of the repulse
at Corinth to him. Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824-63), "Stonewall
Jackson," the noted Confederate General, was of Ulster Scot descent.
John Alexander Logan (1826-86), of Ulster Scot parentage, was later
unsuccessful candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1884, United States
Senator (1871-77, 1879-86), and author of "The Great Conflict" (1866).
Major-General Robert McAllister (1813-91), great-grandson of Archibald
McAllister from Scotland, 1732. Charles Lafayette McArthur (1824-98),
soldier, politician, and journalist, was of Scots parentage. General
Arthur McArthur (1845-1912), of Scots parentage, son of Arthur
McArthur the Jurist, later served in the Philippines, became in 1906
Lieutenant-General, being the twelfth officer in the history of the
Army to attain that rank. Described as "our best read and best
informed soldier." His son, Douglas, served with distinction in the
Great War. John McArthur, born in Erskine, Scotland, in 1826,
emigrated to United States in 1849, was brevetted Major-General for
gallantry. General George Archibald McCall (1802-68), served in the
Florida and Mexican Wars, and also rendered distinguished service in
the Civil War. Daniel Craig McCallum (1815-78), born in Renfrewshire,
Superintendent of the Erie Railroad (1855-56), was Director of
Military Roads in the United States (1862-65), and became
Major-General in 1866. "He introduced the inflexible arched truss,
which has probably been in more general use in the United States than
any other system of timber bridges." The McCooks, of Scottish descent,
two Ohio families with a remarkable military record, often
distinguished as the "Tribe of Dan" and "Tribe of John" from their
respective heads--two brothers, Major Daniel and Dr. John McCook. All
the sons, fourteen in number, served either in the Army or Navy, and
all but one were commanding officers. Clinton Dugald McDougal (b.
1839), Major-General and later Member of Congress (1872-77), was born
in Scotland. Irvin McDowell (1818-85), served in the Mexican War, in
the Civil War had command of the Army of the Potomac, Major-General in
1872, was descendant of emigrant from Londonderry shortly after the
siege in which his ancestor took part. General John Bankhead Magruder
(1810-71) and Commander George Magruder of the Confederate Army were
said to be "direct descendants of the illustrious Rob Roy McGregor."
Alexander Mackenzie (b. 1844), Chief of Engineers, was of Scots
parentage. David McMurtrie Gregg (b. 1833), served with distinction in
battles of the Wilderness, and was afterwards Auditor-General of
Pennsylvania. John McNeil (1813-91), Brigadier-General, was born in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, of Scots parentage. General James Birdseye
Macpherson (1828-64), of Ulster Scot descent, took a most prominent
part in many battles. General Grant said at his death: "The country
has lost one of its best soldiers, and I have lost my best friend."
William Macrae (1834-82), of Scottish descent, Brigadier-General in
the Confederate Army was afterwards General Superintendent of the
Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. William Addison Phillips
(1824-93), soldier, statesman, and author, born in Paisley, refused to
leave his command to accept the nomination for Governor of his state
(Kansas). He was author of "Labor, Land, and Law" (1886). John
Robertson (1814-87), born in Banffshire, was Adjutant-General of
Michigan from 1861 to 1887. He was author of "The Flags of Michigan,"
"Michigan in the War," etc. James Alexander Walker (1832-1901),
descendant of John Walker who came from Wigtown (c. 1730), was also
Member of Congress (1895-99) and Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
(1877).
SCOTS IN THE NAVY