James Glasgow (c. 1735 – November 17, 1819) served as the first
North Carolina Secretary of State
The North Carolina Secretary of State is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina, and is fourth in the line of succession to the office of Governor of North Carolina. The se ...
, from 1777 to 1798.
Biography
Early life
James Glasgow, the son of a
Scottish minister, Reverend James Patrick Glasgow and his wife, Martha Jones, of Cecil County, Maryland. He was born in the Colony of Maryland and educated at 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 III ...
. After graduation he served as an accounting and corresponding clerk for an import-export house in Suffolk, Virginia.
Career
He was an officer in 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 ...
in North Carolina, and in December 1776, was rewarded by the last of the state's
provincial congresses with the office of Secretary of State. From 1777 to 1781, Glasgow lived at
Harmony Hall in
Kinston.
Service record:
* Adjutant in the
Dobbs County Regiment
The Dobbs County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the American Revolution. The regiment was one of thirty-five existing county militias that were authorized by the North Carolina Provincial Congress to be organ ...
of the
North Carolina militia
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
(1776)
* Major in the Dobbs County Regiment (1776-1777)
* Colonel in the Dobbs County Regiment (1777-1778, 1779-1780)
* Secretary of State (1776-1799)
In 1791, while he was still serving as Secretary of State, the state legislature named a county after him. He resigned in disgrace after a scandal known as the "
Glasgow Land Fraud." After his resignation, the county was renamed
Greene County.
Personal life
His daughter, Nancy Glasgow, married
Willoughby Williams
Willoughby Williams was an American war veteran and politician from North Carolina.Zella Armstrong, ''Some Tennessee Heroes of the Revolution: Compiled from Pension Statements'', Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009, p. 11/ref>William Stevens Powell ...
, a member of the
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...
, and later remarried to
Joseph McMinn
Joseph McMinn (June 22, 1758October 17, 1824) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. A veteran of the American Revolution, he had previously served in the legislature of the Southwest Territo ...
, who served as
Governor of Tennessee
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state.
The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...
from 1815 to 1821.
References
External links
NC Historical Markers*
1735 births
1819 deaths
American people of Scottish descent
College of William & Mary alumni
Secretaries of State of North Carolina
North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution
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