Col. Archibald Cary (January 24, 1721February 26, 1787)
[Tyler, ''Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography'', 8.] was a Virginia planter, soldier, politician, and major landowner. He was a political figure from the
colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...
.
Early life
Col. Archibald Cary was born on January 24, 1721. He was the son of
Henry Cary Jr. and Ann Edwards Cary.
He was educated in
Williamsburg and
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also ...
, Virginia and is believed to have attended the
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William ...
.
Upon his father's death in 1742 Cary inherited over 4,000 acres, lying on both sides of the
Willis River, in what would eventually become
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...
and
Buckingham counties.
His plantation, called Buckingham, was identified on the Joshua Fry-Peter Jefferson map (1752).
Career
Cary was a member of the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...
from 1756 to 1776.
[Member of Last Assembly of 1775–1776; last official session met beginning June 1, 1775, later meetings had no quorum. Stanard, 1902, pp. 197–200.] In 1764, he served on the committee of Burgesses that wrote resolutions against the proposed
Stamp Act, but the following year he voted against
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first a ...
's
Virginia Resolves
The Virginia Resolves were a series of resolutions passed on May 29, 1765, by the Virginia House of Burgesses in response to the Stamp Act of 1765, which had imposed a tax on the British colonies in North America requiring that material be prin ...
as being premature and too inflammatory.
As tensions with the mother country escalated, in 1773 Cary served as a member of Virginia's
committee of correspondence.
When the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...
was dissolved at the outset of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, he served as a delegate to the Virginia Conventions. At the
Fifth Virginia Convention in May 1776, he served as the chairman of the committee of the whole that adopted the celebrated
resolution of independence
The Lee Resolution (also known as "The Resolution for Independence") was the formal assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776 which resolved that the Thirteen Colonies in America (at the time referred to as United Col ...
, which instructed Virginia's delegates to the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
to propose a
declaration of independence.
After Virginia became an independent state in 1776, Cary became the first speaker of the
Senate of Virginia, and remained in that position until his death.
Revolutionary War
During the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, Cary was placed in charge of recruitment and supplies in central Virginia. He was asked by
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, his colleague in the House of Burgesses and fellow graduate of the
College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...
, to loan the Virginia Colony the funds to underwrite the cost of the
Virginia militia, on the promise by Jefferson he would be repaid later, though he never was repaid. He did fund the Virginia militia for the following reason: though he had always been loyal to the Crown (he had a Charter from the Crown for all his thousands of acres of property at
Ampthill plantation), he had grown tired of British attempts to continue promoting the sale of slaves in America. Although he owned some 200 slaves, he had come to the conclusion that everything about the slave trade and the owning of African slaves was only going to create major problems in America.
Reputation
Cary was known among
Baptists
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul com ...
for arresting many Baptists for preaching without a license. There was one incident where a Baptist preacher continued to preach from his cell window. To solve the problem, Cary put a wall around the prison.
His nickname was "Old Iron". He operated
Chesterfield Forge, which fabricated iron, starting in 1750, and ending in 1781, when it was burned by Benedict Arnold. He owned British thoroughbred horses and traded with England.
Personal life
On May 31, 1744, Cary married Mary Randolph, the daughter of
Richard Randolph of
Curles,
and sister of William Randolph of Tuckahoe (1713-1746), who married Maria Page (daughter of
Mann Page).
The two had nine children together and, through his marriage, Cary's children were
lineal descendants of
Pocahontas.
Their children included:
* Anne Cary (1745–1789), who married
Thomas Mann Randolph (1741–1793), her first cousin.
* Jane Cary (1751–1774), married Thomas Isham Randolph (1722–1778), the son of
Isham Randolph and an uncle of
United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, in 1768.
* Henry Cary (1752–1758), who died young.
* Sarah Cary (1753–1773), who married Archibald Bolling II (1748–1827)
* Elizabeth Cary (1760–1775), who married Robert Kincaid (1751–1801)
* Mary "Polly" Cary (1766–1797), who married Carter Page (1758–1825)
References
;Notes
;Sources
*Brock, Robert K. ''Archibald Cary of Ampthill: Wheelhorse of the Revolution''. Richmond, Virginia: Garrett and Massie, 1937.
*Little, Lewis Peyton. ''Imprisoned Preachers and Religious Liberty in Virginia.'' Lynchburg, Virginia: J.P. Bell Co., 1938.
*
Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography'', volume 2. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1915.
* Yeck, Joanne L., ''"At a Place Called Buckingham,"'' Kettering, Ohio: Slate River Press, 2011.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Archibald
1721 births
1787 deaths
House of Burgesses members
People of Virginia in the American Revolution
Virginia state senators
Archibald Cary
Col. Archibald Cary (January 24, 1721February 26, 1787)Tyler, ''Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography'', 8. was a Virginia planter, soldier, politician, and major landowner. He was a political figure from the colony of Virginia.
Early life
Col. Ar ...
College of William & Mary alumni
American planters
People from Chesterfield County, Virginia
American slave owners
18th-century American politicians