- Duncan McArthur
-
Duncan McArthur (June 14, 1772 – April 29, 1839) was a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th Governor of Ohio.
Born to Scottish immigrants in Dutchess County, New York, McArthur grew up in western Pennsylvania and later moved to Kentucky, where he was employed as an Indian ranger. McArthur moved across the Ohio River in 1797 to the new town of Chillicothe, Ohio, which was to become the state capital in 1803. McArthur grew wealthy investing in land in the surrounding area. McArthur founded the city of Greenfield in 1799. Greenfield is located at N39 21.11958 W83 22.96284 (GPS coordinates), about 21 miles due west of Chillicothe. State Route 28, which runs between Greenfield and Chillicothe, was to be known as General Duncan McArthur Highway per act of the 113th Ohio General Assembly to the effect of:
Ohio Revised Code 5533.11 General Duncan McArthur highway.
The road known as state route number twenty-eight, running in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction, commencing at the village of Milford in Hamilton and Clermont counties and extending through the counties of Clermont, Warren, Clinton, Highland, and Ross to a point of junction with United States route number fifty, and through the municipal corporations of Blanchester, Martinsville, New Vienna, Highland, Leesburg, and Greenfield shall be known as “General Duncan McArthur highway.”
The director of transportation shall erect suitable uniform markers upon said highway indicating the name thereof, such markers to have a background of white enamel, bearing in black enamel the bust of General Duncan McArthur and the words “General Duncan McArthur highway.” Effective Date: 09-28-1973
He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 3rd congressional district while serving in the militia during the War of 1812, but never qualified for office, preferring to continue serving in the military. He was appointed colonel of Ohio volunteers and was second-in-command to General William Hull at Fort Detroit. He and Colonel Lewis Cass were not present at Detroit when Hull surrendered and were greatly angered to hear that Hull had included both of them in the capitulation. When a British officer notified him of the surrender, McArthur is said to have torn off his epalettes and broke his sword in a fit of rage, although historians note similar stories were told about other officers as well.[1] He was paroled and returned to Ohio. He was appointed a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army and commanded a brigade under William H. Harrison during the battle of the Thames. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of the Army of the Northwest following Harrison's resignation.[2] He did not face much action but was instead engaged in negotiating treaties with the Indians. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners (along with Lewis Cass) who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with several Native American tribes.
McArthur served intermittently thereafter in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio State Senate, as well as a single term from 1823-1825 in the United States House of Representatives before winning election to the governorship in 1830. McArthur served a single term and did not seek re-election.
McArthur is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, USA. The small village of McArthur, Ohio, the seat of Vinton County, is named for him.
Notes
- ^ Cramer 1937, p. 134
- ^ Cramer 1937, p. 140
References
- Cramer, C. H. (April 1937). "Duncan McArthur: The Military Phase". Ohio History (Ohio Historical Society) 46 (2): 128–147. http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=0046128.html&StartPage=128&EndPage=147&volume=46
- Duncan McArthur at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- "Duncan McArthur". Appleton's cyclopædia of American biography. 4. 1887. pp. 72–73. http://books.google.com/books?id=q54LAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA72. Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography
Political offices Preceded by
Thomas KirkerSpeaker of the Ohio Senate
1809-12-04 – 1810-12-02Succeeded by
Thomas KirkerSpeaker of the Ohio House of Representatives
1817-12-01 – 1818-12-06Succeeded by
Joseph RichardsonPreceded by
Allen TrimbleGovernor of Ohio
1830-12-18 – 1832-12-07Succeeded by
Robert LucasOhio House of Representatives Preceded by
William Creighton, Sr.
James Dunlap
John Evans
Elias LanghamRepresentative from Ross and Franklin Counties
1804–1805
Served alongside: Michael Baldwin, James Dunlap, William PattonSucceeded by
James Dunlap
Elias Langham
David Shelby
Abraham J. WilliamsPreceded by
James Barnes
John McDougall
Samuel SwearingenRepresentative from Ross County
1815–1816
Served alongside: James Barnes, Thomas ScottSucceeded by
James Barnes
James Manary
William VancePreceded by
James Barnes
James Manary
William VanceRepresentative from Ross County
1817–1818
Served alongside: James Manary, William VanceSucceeded by
Joseph Kerr
John Sill
James S. SwearingenOhio Senate Preceded by
Abraham Claypool
Joseph KerrSenator from Ross and Franklin Counties
1805–1806
Served alongside: Joseph KerrSucceeded by
Himself
Abraham Claypool
as Senators from Ross, Franklin, and Highland CountiesPreceded by
Himself
Joseph Kerr
as Senators from Ross and Franklin CountiesSenator from Ross, Franklin, and Highland Counties
1806–1808
Served alongside: Abraham ClaypoolDistrict eliminated New district Senator from Ross County
1808–1813
Served alongside: Henry Massie (1808–1810), Robert Dunlap (1810–1811), James Dunlap (1811–1813)Succeeded by
William Creighton, Sr.
James DunlapPreceded by
Samuel SwearingenSenator from Ross County
1821–1823Succeeded by
David CrouseUnited States House of Representatives New district Representative from Ohio's 3rd congressional district
1813–1813-04-05Succeeded by
William Creighton, Jr.Preceded by
John SloaneRepresentative from Ohio's 6th congressional district
1823-03-04 – 1825-03-03Succeeded by
John ThomsonCategories:- 1772 births
- 1839 deaths
- Governors of Ohio
- Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
- Presidents of the Ohio State Senate
- People from Chillicothe, Ohio
- People from Dutchess County, New York
- American people of Scottish descent
- United States Army generals
- American people of the War of 1812
- Ohio National Republicans
- Ohio Democratic-Republicans
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.