Cortlandt Skinner (December 16, 1727 – March 15, 1799) was the last Royal

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited ...

and a

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 appointe ...

in a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British C ...

force, the New Jersey Volunteers, also known as Skinner's Greens, 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 ...

Before the Revolution

Cortlandt Skinner was born December 16, 1727, to a wealthy family in

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

in the British

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after t ...

, the eldest son of the Reverend William Skinner and Elizabeth ''nee'' Cortland. His grandfather

Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor' ...

had been the first native born

mayor of New York 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 ...

. Skinner was of English, Dutch and possibly Scottish ancestry. There was a firm family tradition that William Skinner, later the Rector of St. Peter's Church in

, had participated in one of the

Jacobite risings , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

and was related to the chiefs of the

Clan Gregor Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Clan ...

– changing his name from MacGregor to avoid the persecution inflicted upon all those of that name. Skinner studied law at Newark while clerking for David Ogden, a member of the governor's council, and then began practising at Perth Amboy. At the age of twenty-seven, he was appointed

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

in 1754 and also acted as speaker of the provincial Assembly between 1765 and 1770 and between 1772 and 1776. Sources differ as to his conduct as Attorney-General, but his general reputation was one of integrity and ability.

Revolutionary War

Skinner was one of the three current and past speakers of the New Jersey colonial assembly who actively opposed American independence. At the outbreak of the hostilities in the American colonies, he was offered by the Patriot rebels the pick of all civilian and military posts. In January 1776, he fled after having received an intercepted letter authorizing his arrest by the Rebels. As a prominent New Jersey Loyalist, Skinner accepted a commission, on September 4, 1776, as a brigadier general under the British Crown and was authorized to raise a Provincial corps, known as the New Jersey Volunteers or "Skinner's Greens". Three battalions were authorized, to consist of 2,500 soldiers. In the first months of trying to increase enlistments, the corps could only raise 1,000 men, but eventually, Skinner's Greens increased their ranks to 2,000 soldiers. Throughout the war, the New Jersey Volunteers mercilessly harassed their Patriot opponents in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the U ...

, from the defensive outposts of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

. Skinner, for the duration of the war, was the leading civil and military authority over Staten Island.Sedgwick, Ellery and Leslie, Mrs. Frank. Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, Volume 19, page 362. By the end of war in 1783, he was one of the three highest ranking Loyalist officers in the British Army. His wife and family embarked for England in the summer of 1783, in the ''Le Solitaire'', and were forced into Halifax by stress of weather. He himself followed after the evacuation of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His claim to compensation for his losses as a Loyalist was difficult to adjust and caused the Commissioners much labour, but an allowance was finally made. He also received the half-pay of a Brigadier-General during his life.

Personal life

In 1751, Cortlandt Skinner married Elizabeth Kearney, the daughter of Philip Kearney, of

. They had many children, including: * Cortlandt Skinner Jr., who held a commission in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

in 1782. * Philip Kearney Skinner (died in London 1826), who was a Lt. General in the British Army. * John Skinner (died 1832), who became a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and, later, commanded a steam-packet between

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...

and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. * Isabel Skinner (1765–1812), who married Dr. William Mackenzie Fraser (1754–1807) of

Balnain Balnain is a small village in Glenurquhart, Scotland, about 5 miles west of Drumnadrochit. It is mostly dependent on tourism, forestry, agriculture and farming. The first buildings were created in the 1870s and 1880s and minor expansions occurred ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

(grandparents of diplomat Hugh Fraser). * Maria Skinner, who married Field-Marshall Sir George Nugent MP. He died at

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

, England, in 1799, aged seventy-one. He is buried in St. Augustine's Church, in

References

Notes Sources * This entry incorporates text from

Lorenzo Sabine Lorenzo Sabine (February 28, 1803 – April 14, 1877) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts now more remembered for his research and publishing concerning the Loyalists of the American Revolution than as a public servant. Background and ear ...

's Biographical ''Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution'' (1843), a publication now in the public domain. * Susan Burgess Shenstone, ''So Obstinately Loyal: James Moody, 1744–1809'' (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000) * W.D. Hoyle, ''The Macgregor Family'', in volume 8 of ''The Scottish Antiquary, or Northern Notes and Queries'' (Edinburgh, 1894) *A.G.M. MacGregor, ''History of the Clan Gregor, Volume II'', (William Brown, 26 Princes Street, Edinburgh, 1901) {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Cortlandt New Jersey Attorneys General Loyalists in the American Revolution from New Jersey Loyalist military personnel of the American Revolutionary War American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent 1727 births 1799 deaths Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Perth Amboy, New Jersey American people of Scottish descent Schuyler family People of colonial New Jersey 18th-century American politicians