Winthrop Sargent

Postage stamp with the portrait of Winthrop Sargent

Winthrop Sargent (born May 1, 1753 in Gloucester , Province of Massachusetts Bay , † June 3, 1820 in Natchez , Mississippi ) was an American politician and governor of the Mississippi Territory from 1798 to 1801 .

Early years and advancement

Winthrop Sargent attended Harvard University during the colonial days . In 1771 he became the captain of a merchant ship that belonged to his father. During the war of independence he rose from lieutenant to brevet major and took part in numerous battles. In 1786 he was a land surveyor and co-founder of the Ohio Company of Associates . In 1788 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . He then became First Secretary in the Northwest Territory, Deputy Territory Governor Arthur St. Clair . He held this office between 1788 and 1798. He was wounded in a war with the Indians in 1791. In 1796, as acting governor, he proclaimed the establishment of Wayne County , the first county in what would later become the state of Michigan . Winthrop Sargent became a member of Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Party .

Governor of the Mississippi Territory

In 1798, Sargent was named the first Territory Governor of the Mississippi Territory by President John Adams . He held this office between May 7, 1798 and May 25, 1801. After the loss of power of his party and the election of Thomas Jefferson as US President , Sargent was recalled by this and replaced by William Charles Cole Claiborne .

Another résumé

After his governor ended, Sargent became a planter in Natchez. From 1789 he was married to Roewena Tupper, the daughter of General Benjamin Tupper . Winthrop Sargent died on June 3, 1820 on board a ship near Natchez.

Web links

• Winthrop Sargent in the US Military Dictionary (English)
• Winthrop Sargent in the nndb (English)
• Winthrop Sargent in the database of Find a Grave (English)