Duncan McArthur

Duncan McArthur (1772 – April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th Governor of Ohio.

Duncan McArthur
11th Governor of Ohio
In office December 18, 1830 – December 7, 1832
Preceded by	Allen Trimble
Succeeded by	Robert Lucas
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 6th district
In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825
Preceded by	John Sloane
Succeeded by	John Thomson
Member of the Ohio Senate from Ross, Franklin and Highland counties
In office 1805–1813 1821–1823
Preceded by	Abraham Claypool Joseph Kerr
Succeeded by	William Creighton, Sr. James Dunlap (1805–1813) David Crouse (1821–1823)
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from Ross and Franklin counties
In office 1804–1805 1815–1816 1817–1818
Personal details
Born	January 14, 1772 or June 14, 1772 Dutchess County, Province of New York, British America
Died	April 29, 1839 (aged 66–67) Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S.
Resting place	Grandview Cemetery
Political party	Federalist National Republican
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1812–1815
Rank	Brigadier general
Commands	Army of the Northwest
Battles/wars	War of 1812 Battle of Malcolm's Mills aka. McArthur's Raid

When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the state militia during the War of 1812. He was later appointed as Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of the Army of the Northwest, serving through 1817 and negotiating the Treaty of Fort Meigs of 1817 to ratify peace and land cessions with Native American tribes.

Biography

Sources vary as to McArthur's exact birthdate. It has been given as January 14, 1772[1][2] or June 14, 1772.[3][4] He was born to Scottish immigrants in Dutchess County in the Province of New York,[5] McArthur grew up in western Pennsylvania and later moved to Kentucky, where he was employed as an Indian ranger.[6]

McArthur obtained a position with Nathaniel Massie in 1793, and worked with Massie on a surveying expedition in the Northwest Territory. In 1796, he worked with Massie to lay out the new town of Chillicothe, Ohio,[6] which was to become the state capital in 1803. McArthur moved across the Ohio River in 1797 to Chillicothe, where he gained wealth by his land speculations in the Northwest Territory.

Career

McArthur was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 3rd congressional district while serving in the state militia during the War of 1812. He never qualified for office as he preferred 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 epaulettes and broke his sword in a fit of rage, although historians note similar stories were told about other officers as well.[7] The British paroled him and McArthur returned to Ohio.

He was appointed a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of the Army of the Northwest following Harrison's resignation.[8]

McArthur did not face much action after that, but he was 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. He was elected and served 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.

Death

McArthur was buried in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, US.[9] The trust established in his will later became the subject of litigation that went before the U.S. Supreme Court in McArthur v. Scott.

Legacy

The small village of McArthur, Ohio, the seat of Vinton County, is named for him.

McArthur founded the city of Greenfield, Ohio 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, in 1973 was named as General Duncan McArthur Highway per act of the 113th Ohio General Assembly.

References

1. The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812
2. Harper's Popular Cyclopædia of United States History
3. Congress BioGuide
4. Messages and letters of William Henry Harrison
5. "Ohio Governor Duncan McArthur". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
6. "Duncan McArthur". Ohio History Central. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
7. Cramer 1937, p. 134
8. Cramer 1937, p. 140
9. "Grandview Cemetery". Grandview Cemetery. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.

External links

• National Governors Association
• Duncan McArthur at Ohio History Central
• Cramer, C. H. (April 1937). "Duncan McArthur: The Military Phase". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly. Ohio Historical Society. 46 (2): 128–147.

• United States Congress. "Duncan McArthur (id: M000299)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

"McArthur, Duncan" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.