The Cadwalader family is an American family of military and civilian leaders that were prominent from the late 18th through 19th centuries in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The progenitor of the family, John Cadwalader, was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

who emigrated from Wales in part to escape religious persecution.

History

John Cadwalader (1677–1734), the patriarch of the Cadwalader family, was born in Bala, Wales before coming to the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

in 1697, seeking a place to practice the

religion without repression. After inheriting money from his father and uncle, he set himself up as a merchant in Philadelphia and became active in local politics, serving on the Common Council. Upon his death in 1734, he left a substantial estate to his family. John's only son, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader (1707–1779), was born in Philadelphia but returned to Europe to study medicine. He married Hannah Lambert, and together they had eight children. Among Thomas' children were General John Cadwalader (1742–1786), a commander of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

troops during the Revolutionary War who served under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and was with him at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

, and

Lambert Cadwalader Lambert Cadwalader (December 1742 – September 13, 1823) was an American merchant and leader in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, then represented New Jersey in the Continental Con ...

(1742–1823), a merchant and leader in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

who also fought in the War, then represented New Jersey in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

and the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

. In 1799, General John Cadwalader's daughter, Frances Cadwalader, married into the English aristocracy when she wed the Hon. David Erskine (who later served as British Minister to the U.S. and in 1823 succeeded as the 2nd Baron Erskine). Among their children were Thomas Americus Erskine, 3rd Baron Erskine (1802–1877), and John Cadwalader Erskine, 4th Baron Erskine (1804–1882),

Edward Morris Erskine The Hon. Edward Erskine (28 March 1817 – 19 April 1883) was a British diplomat who was envoy to Greece and Sweden and Norway. Early life Edward Morris Erskine was born on 28 March 1817. He was the fourth son of David Erskine, 2nd Baron Erskin ...

(1817–1883), and James Stuart Erskine (1821–1904), who was created

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

von Erskine by

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

. Lambert Cadwalader married Mary McCall, the daughter of Archibald and Judith (née Kemble) McCall. Their only child was

Thomas McCall Cadwalader Thomas McCall Cadwalader (September 11, 1795 – October 22, 1873) was an American who trained to be a lawyer but made his career in the military, retiring as a major general. Early life Thomas McCall Cadwalader was born on the family estate ca ...

(1795–1873), who married Maria Charlotte Gouverneur (sister of Samuel Laurence Gouverneur and the niece of Elizabeth Kortright and U.S. President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

).Rawle, William Henry. ''Colonel Lambert Cadwalader, of Trenton, New Jersey.'' Philadelphia, n.p., 1878.

Legacy

The Cadwalader family are considered important patrons and supporters of the early artistic and cultural development of the American colonies as well as the new republic. They commissioned works by American masters, including

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American Painting, painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolu ...

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

, and

Susan Macdowell Eakins Susan Hannah Eakins ( Macdowell; September 21, 1851 – December 27, 1938) was an American painter and photographer. Her works were first shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she was a student. She won the Mary Smith Prize t ...

Prominent members

* Thomas Cadwalader (1708–1779) * John Cadwalader (1742–1786) *

(1742–1823) *

(1795–1873) * Samuel Ringgold (1796–1846) *

Cadwalader Ringgold Cadwalader Ringgold (August 20, 1802 – April 29, 1867) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service ...

(1802–1867) * George A. McCall (1802–1868) * John Cadwalader (1805–1879) *

George Cadwalader George Cadwalader (May 16, 1806 – February 3, 1879) was a general in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. Biography Cadwalader was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied law and was admitted to th ...

(1806–1879) *

John Lambert Cadwalader John Lambert Cadwalader (November 11, 1836 – March 11, 1914) was an American lawyer. Early life John Lambert Cadwalader was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on November 17, 1836. He was the eldest son of General Thomas McCall Cadwalader (1795–1 ...

(1836–1914) * Mary Cadwalader Rawle (1850–1935) * Gouverneur Cadwalader (1880–1935)

Gallery

Dr Thomas Cadwalader, by Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827).jpg, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader, by

(1770) Charles_Willson_Peale,_American_-_Portrait_of_John_and_Elizabeth_Lloyd_Cadwalader_and_their_Daughter_Anne_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, John and Elizabeth Lloyd Cadwalader and their daughter Anne, by

(1772) Colonel Lambert Cadwalader (1743-1823), by Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827).jpg, Lambert Cadwalader, by

(1771) Charles Willson Peale - General John Cadwalader - 1999.27.30 - Smithsonian American Art Museum.jpg, General John Cadwalader, by

() Williamina Bond Cadwalader.jpg, Mrs. John Cadwalader (née Williamina Bond), by Robert Field (1790s) Portrait of Frances Cadwalader Montague, Lady Erskine.jpg, Lady Erskine (née Frances Cadwalader), by

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

(1802) John-Cadwalader.jpg, John Cadwalader (–1865) Mary Cadwalader Rawle.jpg, Mary Cadwalader Rawle, by William Oliver Stone (1868) General George Cadwalader, by Thomas Eakins.jpg, General George Cadwalader, by

() Susan Macdowell Eakins, General Cadwalader Seated at a Table, 1882.jpg, General Thomas McCall Cadwalader, by

(1882) Maj. B.L. Cadwalader LCCN2014718037.jpg, Maj. Bertram L. Cadwalader (1900) John Lambert Cadwalader.jpg, John Lambert Cadwalader ()

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwalader family American families of Welsh ancestry Political families of the United States Families from New York (state) Families from New Jersey

History

Legacy

Prominent members

Gallery

See also

References