James Pritchard (November 1, 1763– February 6, 1813) was an

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 ...

veteran and

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

politician who served in the legislatures of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

, and later in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and was unsuccessful in runs for congress.

Early life

James Pritchard was born November 1, 1763, in

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick. Frederick County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ...

. He served as a private in the Maryland line during the

. He was married to Tabitha White, and they lived in

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, ...

before moving to the

Northwest Territory

Pritchard was an early settler in Knox Township and one of the early members of the Sugar Grove Methodist church, the first church in that township. He was a lieutenant-colonel of the county militia, and as an associate judge of Jefferson County he helped lay out the county into five townships. Pritchard was elected as the representative of Jefferson County to the House of Representatives of the Northwest Territory in 1799. He became a leader of the movement toward statehood, allied with other Republicans

Edward Tiffin Edward Tiffin (June 19, 1766August 9, 1829) was an American politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic-Republican party, he served as the first governor of Ohio and later as a United States Senator. Biography Sources indicate that he was ...

Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to: *Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College * Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer * Thomas Worthington ...

and

Nathaniel Massie Nathaniel Massie (December 28, 1763 – November 13, 1813) was a frontier surveyor in the Ohio Country (including the Virginia Military District) who became a prominent land owner, politician, and soldier. He founded fourteen early towns in ...

. After a constitution was approved in 1802, elections were held for the first

legislature in January, 1803. Jefferson County was the only place where

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

s were elected, and Pritchard suspected election fraud and filed a protest, which was over-ruled.

State Government

The Federalists fell out of favor in Jefferson County, and Pritchard was elected to the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

in 1804, for a two-year term. He became Speaker of the Senate in February, 1805 when

Daniel Symmes Daniel Symmes (1772 – May 10, 1817) was a politician in the U.S. State of Ohio in the Ohio State Senate, an Ohio Supreme Court Judge 1805-1808, Mayor of Cincinnati 1808-1809, and register of the Cincinnati land office. Daniel Symmes was b ...

resigned, and was chosen again for the 1805-'6 session. He was also chosen as a

Presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

that autumn, and cast a ballot for

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 1806 Ohio had one At-large congressional district, and Pritchard ran against incumbent

Jeremiah Morrow Jeremiah Morrow (October 6, 1771March 22, 1852) was a Democratic-Republican Party politician from Ohio. He served as the ninth governor of Ohio, and was the last Democratic-Republican to hold that office. He also served as a United States Senat ...

. He lost, failing to carry his home county. After failing in election to the Ohio Senate in 1807, he won election to the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in 1808, ran for speaker, and finished second. He was elected again in 1809, and again finished second for speaker. He was re-elected in 1810. During the 1810-1811 session, the legislature elected him an associate judge of Jefferson County. In 1811, Pritchard was again elected to the Ohio Senate for a two-year term. He was a presidential elector in 1812, and cast a ballot for

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

. He finished third in another run for congress in 1812. In August, 1808, Pritchard was widowed when Tabitha Pritchard died, leaving him with several children. He remarried to Sally Huston in February, 1810. Pritchard died while the legislature was meeting on February 6, 1813, in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...

Notes

References

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchard, James 1763 births 1813 deaths Members of the Northwest Territory House of Representatives Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio Democratic-Republicans Ohio state court judges People of Maryland in the American Revolution People from Jefferson County, Ohio Presidents of the Ohio Senate 1804 United States presidential electors 1812 United States presidential electors 18th-century Methodists 19th-century Methodists Methodists from Ohio