James Gordon (October 31, 1739 – January 17, 1810) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

merchant, soldier, and politician. He was born in

Killead Killead () is a hamlet and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is near Aldergrove and Antrim and is accessed from the A26 Tully Road. It had a population of 81 people (32 households) in the 2011 Census. (2001 Census: 78 peopl ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and left in 1758, settling in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

. From that base and from

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, he traded with various Native American tribes. He owned slaves. He served as militia lieutenant colonel in 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 Revolut ...

. In the 1780 British raid, known as " The Burning of the Valleys", he was captured and taken to Quebec, where he was held until he managed to escape in 1783. During and after the war, first in 1777, held various legislative offices, serving in both houses of the state legislature, and representing the state in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1791 until 1795. Gordon was married to Mary Ball, daughter of Rev.

Eliphalet Ball Eliphalet Ball (July 29, 1722 – April 6, 1797) was a Presbyterian minister and an early settler in Saratoga County, New York. The town of Ballston, New York, Ballston ("Ball's Town") is named for him.) Personal Ball was born on July 29, 1722, in ...

, the founder of Ballston, New York. Gordon Creek, in the Town of Ballston, is named for him.

References

External links

Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
1739 births 1810 deaths People from County Antrim Kingdom of Ireland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies People of the Province of New York American people of Scotch-Irish descent Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators American slave owners People from Ballston, New York Politicians from Schenectady, New York Military personnel from Schenectady, New York Burials in Saratoga County, New York {{NewYork-Representative-stub