William North (1755January 3, 1836) was an American soldier and politician.

Early life

William North was born in Pemaquid, Maine, to John North and Elizabeth Pitson in 1755. John was an Irish immigrant and Elizabeth a native of Boston. He had two half-siblings from his father's previous marriage to Elizabeth Lewis, Joseph and Mary North. His father, Captain John North, was Lieutenant Commander of Fort Frederick between 1744 and 1756, and in charge of

Fort St. George Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further ...

from 1756 to 1763. He was also appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the county in 1760. After the death of his father in 1763, North moved with his mother to Boston, Massachusetts. There he attended the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

between 1764 and 1770. While in Boston, North worked in a Merchant's office, where he remained until the port was closed by the British in the fall of 1774.North (1870), p. 180

Career

Military career

He entered 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 ...

in 1775 and served under

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

in the unfortunate expedition to Canada in that year. Though he volunteered, he was apparently too sick to participate. On May 9, 1776, he was commissioned second lieutenant in Captain John Gill's company of Colonel Thomas Craft's regiment of train artillery. He was then appointed in May 1777 as captain in Colonel Henry Jackson's 16th Massachusetts Regiment, with which he participated in the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...

. According to his son, the commission "went with my father in his bosom through the War of the Revolution". In 1778 he met

Baron Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...

, and the following year was appointed his aide-de-camp, and greatly assisted him introducing his system of discipline in the Continental Army. Later he accompanied Steuben to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and was present at the surrender of

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

and the siege of Yorktown. Based on the Baron's recommendation, North was appointed as Inspector of the Troops under General

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

in 1784. North was appointed by Act of Congress a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the 2d United States Regiment on October 20, 1786. This regiment was added to the army temporarily in response to Daniel Shays'

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

of debtor farmers in Massachusetts. After the war he settled in

Duanesburg, New York Duanesburg is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Schenectady County, New York, Schenectady County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 6,122 at the 2010 census. Duanesburg is named for James Duane, who h ...

, where he married. He was appointed adjutant general of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on July 19, 1798. In March of 1799, after eight months of inactive duty, Congress added the role of assistant inspector general to the position. As inspector general,

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, who had worked closely with North during the Revolutionary War, subsequently requested him to serve as his chief of staff. There he assisted in Hamilton's attempt at reforming and strengthening the army. North began a revision of the army's general regulations in the winter of 1799–1800 before Congress abolished his and other staff appointments as tensions with France diminished in May. He was discharged in June.Skelton (2000). In March 1812, he was again appointed adjutant-general of the Army, but declined. He may have declined due to his party's opposition to the war, which was especially strong in his home state of New York. George Washington included North "among the most intelligent and active Officers of the late American Army" in a letter suggesting men for military appointment. Caesar Russell, an African American Private in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment, served as North's personal servant while aide-de-camp to Baron Steuben.

Relationship with Baron Steuben

North and a fellow aide-de-camp, Captain Benjamin Walker, were formally adopted by Steuben and made his heirs. Some historians believe that these 'extraordinary intense emotional relationships' were romantic,Benemann, William ''Male-Male Intimacy in Early America: Beyond Romantic Friendships Haworth Press, 2006, '' and given Steuben's reported earlier behaviour, it has been suggested it would have been out-of-character for him if they were not. However, based on the limited historical record, it is impossible to prove. Following Baron Steuben's death, North divided the property bequeathed to him among his military companions. North named two of his six children after the Baron, Frederic William Steuben North and William Augustus Steuben North.

Political office

He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from Albany County in 1792, 1794 and 1795, from Albany and Schenectady Counties in 1796, and from Schenectady County in 1810. He was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

in 1795, 1796 and 1810. North was appointed as a

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 ...

to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

John Sloss Hobart John Sloss Hobart (May 6, 1738 – February 4, 1805) was a United States senator from New York and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York. Education and career Born on May 6, 1738, in ...

and served from May 5, 1798, to August 17, 1798, when

James Watson James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick and ...

was elected and qualified to succeed. As a strong Federalist, North supported the Aliens and Sedition Acts and other efforts against the

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 ...

opposition. Additionally, he supported the establishment of a Provisional army, following the outbreak of the

Quasi-war The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...

with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He was a member of the first

Erie Canal Commission The Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie and Report, known as the Erie Canal Commission, was a body created by the New York State Legislature in 1810 to plan the Erie Canal. In 1817 a ''Canal Fund'' led by ''Commissioners of the C ...

, from 1810 to 1816. North was a commissioner and director of the Great Western Turnpike Company which was established by the New York state legislature March 15, 1799. It was commissioned to build a road from Albany to Cherry Valley.

Personal life

General William North House, North Mansion Road, Duanesburg (Schenectady County, New York)

On October 14, 1787, North married Mary Duane (b. 1762), the daughter of

James Duane James Duane (February 6, 1733 – February 1, 1797) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, attorney, jurist, and American Revolutionary War, American Revolutionary leader from New York (state), New York. He serve ...

(1733–1797), the 44th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

and U.S. District Judge for the District of New York, appointed by

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 ...

. Together, they had six children, Frederic William Steuben (1788–1789), Marie (1780–1812), James Duane (1791–1792), Elizabeth (1792–1845), William Augustus Steuben (1793–1845), Adelia (1797–1878). It has been suggested that North and Benjamin Walker held a romantic relationship, but like with the Baron, this is difficult to be certain of. Nevertheless, and despite a falling out between 1811 and 1813, Walker remained North's most intimate friend until their deaths. Walker was named as a sponsor of North's daughter Adelia at her baptism. The General William North House was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1987. General North was an original member of the

Society of the 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 ...

. He died in New York City, and was buried in the crypt under the Christ Episcopal Church in Duanesburg.

References

External links

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 40 and 294; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

William North Historic Marker

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:North, William 1755 births 1836 deaths Continental Army officers from Massachusetts Adjutants general of the United States Army Erie Canal Commissioners Inspectors General of the United States Army People from Bristol, Maine Speakers of the New York State Assembly United States Army generals United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Federalists Federalist Party United States senators People from Duanesburg, New York Duane family