John Berrien (1759 – November 6, 1815) was a

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...

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 ...

Early life and career

Berrien was born in 1759 in

Rocky Hill, New Jersey Rocky Hill is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, named for the Rocky Hill Ridge. As of the 2010 United States Census, the rural borough's population was 682,John Berrien John Berrien (November 19, 1711April 22, 1772) was a farmer and merchant from Rocky Hill, New Jersey. He was appointed a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1764 and was a trustee of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, fo ...

and Lady Margaret Eaton (niece of Lord John Eaton of England). His father, who was justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

, died when John Jr. was thirteen. He moved to the

Province of Georgia A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

shortly thereafter, and stayed with his cousins, the LeContes. He joined the Continental Army at age 16, serving initially as one of General

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 ...

's aides. He was then commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Georgia Continental Brigade, under General Robert Ware, and also served in Florida. He served under General

Lachlan McIntosh Lachlan McIntosh (March 17, 1725 – February 20, 1806) was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaratio ...

in 1777. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Monmouth, while on Washington's staff, that he was complimented by the Second Continental Congress and made a

at the age of eighteen. John Berrien House

After the war, Berrien undertook

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

ing expeditions, during which he met Captain John Macpherson. Macpherson built the opulent Mount Pleasant in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

around 1761. Berrien married Macpherson's daughter, Margaret, in 1780. They had one child, John Macpherson Berrien, who was born on August 23, 1781. On November 21, 1783, General

wrote and delivered his farewell address at Rockingham, the former home of Berrien's father which Berrien Jr. had inherited. Shortly thereafter, Berrien returned to Georgia with his family, but Margaret died in McIntosh County in 1785. Berrien served as justice of the peace and captain of the militia while in

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville. Liberty County is part of the Hinesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...

. The

Georgia legislature The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

appointed him Collector of Customs at the

Port of Savannah The Port of Savannah is a major U.S. seaport located at Savannah, Georgia. As of 2021, the port was the third busiest seaport in the United States. Its facilities for oceangoing vessels line both sides of the Savannah River and are approximate ...

in 1786. In 1790, Berrien married a second time, to Williamina Sarah Moore (1771–1838), with whom he had seven more children: Richard McAllister (1795), Ruth Lowndes (1798), Julia Maria (1801), Thomas, Sarah, Eliza and James Wemyss Moore (1807). In 1791, he built a house at today's 322–324 East Broughton Street in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

. He served again as Collector of Customs at the port, and was also an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

between 1791 and 1795. Berrien was a member of Savannah's Christ Church. He was also an original member of the

Society of Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, serving as president of the Georgia Society. He was a member of Solomon's Lodge, the masonic lodge established by the colony of Georgia founder General

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to r ...

. Berrien sold his Savannah home in 1797 after becoming the state treasurer in the new

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Louisville, Georgia Louisville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Georgia, United States, and also a former state capital of Georgia. It is located southwest of Augusta on the Ogeechee River, and its population was 2,493 at the 2010 census, do ...

Death

Berrien died on November 6, 1815, aged 55 or 56. He is interred in Savannah's

Colonial Park Cemetery Colonial Park Cemetery (locally and informally, Colonial Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. It became a city park in 1896,"To George Washington from John Berrien, 10 May 1789"
-

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berrien, John 1759 births 1815 deaths People from Rocky Hill, New Jersey People from Savannah, Georgia People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Revolution Military personnel of the American Revolutionary War