William Payne (July 31, 1725 – July 12, 1782) was a Virginia gentleman, vestryman, justice, and

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in the late colonial period. He was a supporter of the American Independence movement and a member of the Fairfax County Committee for Safety. In 1755, he had a physical altercation with

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 th ...

over an election issue for the

Virginia House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

which almost resulted in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

. The two became friends serving together in a number of roles later in life. His eldest son was a pallbearer at Washington’s funeral.

Personal life

William Payne was born July 31, 1725 in Westmoreland Country, Virginia the second son of William Payne (1692–1776) and Alicia (Jones) Payne (Died October 31, 1760). He was married to Susannah Clarke (1721–1771) on February 3, 1748 in a ceremony officiated by the Reverend Charles Green, First Rector of Pohick Church, Truro Parish. It was a second marriage for Susannah (also known as Susan) Clarke, who was the widow of Nathaniel Brown. The couple had seven children: * Alicia Payne (1749–1837) * William Payne (Colonel) (1751–1813) * Mary Payne (1753–1860) * Benjamin Clark Payne (1755–1789) * Penelope Payne (1757–1785) * Anne Payne (1757–1788) * Devaul (variously spelled Devall and Duval) Payne (1764– ) Susannah Clarke died 22 Feb 1771. William Payne died 12 July 1782 in Fairfax County.

Community leader

William Payne was a vestryman with the Truro Parish from 1756 to 1765 and later the Fairfax Parish when the Truro Parish was split due to growth. He received more votes for one of the 12 vestryman positions in 1765 than Colonel

. Eventually the boundary line between the Truro Parish and the Fairfax Parish had Payne and Washington as vestryman’s in different parishes. William Payne served as Sheriff of Fairfax County, Virginia from 1761 to 1763.

Altercation with George Washington

William Payne famously knocked

to the ground in a dispute of an election issue that almost led to a duel in 1755. In the fall of 1755, Colonel George Washington’s Regiment (i.e., the Virginia Rangers) was encamped at Fort Cumberland following the defeat 3–4 months earlier of General

Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

’s expedition to the Ohio River Valley as part of the Seven Year’s War. Washington returned to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

with several of his officers to support his friend

George William Fairfax George William Fairfax (January 2, 1724April 3, 1787) was a Planter (American South), planter in colonial Virginia who represented then-vast Frederick County, Virginia, Frederick County and later Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County in the Hou ...

in his bid for a seat in the

. William Payne supported the candidacy of William Ellzey, Fairfax’s opponent. In the public square, there was a dispute between Washington and Payne. Washington said something that was taken as an insult by Payne. Payne struck Washington with his walking stick knocking him to the ground. William Payne is described as being 5’6” and slender while Washington was 6’2” and described as “padded with well-developed muscles, indicating great strength“. Several of Washington’s officers who were present drew their swords. Washington stopped them and the soldiers left the public square. The next day, Washington wrote Payne a note to meet at the Tavern. William Payne expected to be challenged to a duel (a common means of resolving disputes between gentleman at that time) and to see two dueling pistols produced, instead there was a decanter of wine and two glasses on the table. Washington apologized and was alleged to have said “to err is nature; to rectify error is glory. I was wrong yesterday, but I wish to be right today.” Washington and Payne became friends serving together as vestryman of the Truro Parish, as members of the Masonic Lodge of Alexandria, and as members of the Fairfax Committee on Public Safety. William Payne had died by the time Washington himself passed away. However, William Payne’s oldest son Colonel William Payne (1751–1813) was one of the pallbearers at Washington’s funeral.

Role in the American Revolution

William Payne was a signatory to the July 18, 1774

Fairfax Resolves The Fairfax Resolves were a set of resolutions adopted by a committee in Fairfax County in the colony of Virginia on July 18, 1774, in the early stages of the American Revolution. Written at the behest of George Washington and others, they were a ...

document, believed to have been authored by George Mason, which was approved by a convention of Fairfax County freeholders chaired by George Washington. This set of resolutions rejected the British Parliament’s claim of supreme authority over the American colonies. One of the resolutions established the Fairfax County Committee of Safety to govern and defend the county. Payne was one of the 25 elected members which included his brother Edward Payne (died 1806), George Washington, and George Mason. Thirteen out of the 25 members had served together as vestrymen of Truro or Fairfax Parishes. In his 50s with no military experience he did not serve directly in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. He helped to raise funds to finance the

Virginia Regiment The Virginia Regiment was formed in 1754 by Virginia's Royal Governor Robert Dinwiddie, as a provincial corps. The regiment served in the French and Indian War, with members participating in actions at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity in 1754, ...

. His eldest son, William Payne (1751–1813), also known as Colonel William Payne, served in the military during 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 ...

. He began his service as a 1st lieutenant in the Marines and later was a captain in the

1st Virginia Regiment The 1st Virginia Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Virginia Line that served with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. History Origins The regiment originated from the Charles City-Henrico County Regiment of M ...

of the Continental Army. He was with the regiment at Valley Forge and was wounded during the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, William Patriots in the American Revolution 1725 births 1782 deaths People from Westmoreland County, Virginia People from Fairfax County, Virginia Virginia colonial people Financiers of the American Revolution Virginia sheriffs