Samuel Hopkins (April 9, 1753 – September 16, 1819) was a U.S. Representative from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Born in

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

in the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

, Hopkins was educated by private tutors. He served in the Revolutionary War, for a while on the staff of General Washington, and later as lieutenant colonel and colonel of the Tenth Virginia Regiment. He was an original member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati. In 1796, Hopkins moved to Kentucky and settled on the Ohio River in 1797 at a point then called Red Banks, now called

Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and is the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,757 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area, locally known as t ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. Hopkins was appointed chief justice of the first court of criminal common law and chancery jurisdiction in 1799, and served until his resignation in 1801. Hopkins served as a member of the State house of representatives in 1800, 1801, and 1803–1806. He later served in the

Kentucky State Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentuc ...

from 1809 to 1813. In 1812, Hopkins was appointed Commander in Chief of the western frontier (

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

), with the rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. He participated in the

Peoria War During the War of 1812, the Illinois Territory was the scene of fighting between Native Americans and United States soldiers and settlers. The Illinois Territory at that time included the areas of modern Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Minneso ...

and was commander at Spur's Defeat; after these series of losses, he resigned from active duty. Hopkins was elected as a

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 ...

to the Thirteenth Congress (March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1814. Samuel Hopkins retired to his country estate, Spring Garden, near

, and died there September 16, 1819. He was interred in the family burying ground at Spring Garden. Hopkinsville, Kentucky was named for him by the

Kentucky Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in the ...

in 1804, as was

Hopkins County, Kentucky Hopkins County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,423. Its county seat is Madisonville. Hopkins County was created December 9, 1806 from Henderson County. It was ...

two years later.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Samuel 1753 births 1819 deaths Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Kentucky state senators Continental Army officers from Virginia United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Kentucky lawyers People from Kentucky in the War of 1812 People from Albemarle County, Virginia Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky United States Army generals 19th-century American lawyers