Isaac Dutton Barnard (July 18, 1791February 28, 1834) was an American militia leader, lawyer, and politician who served as a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

for

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, ...

from 1827 to 1831. He served as a Major in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 and as a Pennsylvania State Senator for the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

from 1820 until 1826.

Early life and education

Barnard was born is

Aston Township, Pennsylvania Aston Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,592 at the 2010 census. History Aston was first settled in 1682 as a municipality and was incorporated as a township in 1688 (one of the first to ...

to James and Susanna Dutton Barnard. The family name is derived from Roche-Bernard in Normandy, France where the family originated. Barnard's great-grandfather, Richard emigrated to Chester County, Pennsylvania prior to 1686. Barnard worked as a scholar at several

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s. He lived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

until 1811 and then moved to

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

Military career

At age 20, Barnard received a commission as Captain of the Fourteenth Regiment, United States Infantry. He opened a recruitment station in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and saw action at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Sackett's Creek, the Canadien Frontier, Fort George, La Cole's Mill, the battle of Crysler's Farm, the

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. An army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost and a naval squadro ...

and Lyon's Creek. At Fort George, he was promoted from

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

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 same unit for meritorious service. He served as a Major General of the Pennsylvania State Militia.

Political career

After the war ended he resumed his legal studies, and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

on May 1, 1816. He began practicing law in West Chester. Barnard was the deputy attorney general for

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

from 1817 to 1821, and an Assistant

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

in the government of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of West Chester in 1821, 1824, and 1825. Barnard was also a major-general of

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, and declined the judgeship of Chester County. Barnard served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the

from 1821 to 1826. He was instrumental in securing funds for a memorial to the Battle of Paoli. The year he left the State Senate, he was the

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (or "secretary of state") administers the Pennsylvania Department of State of the U.S. state (officially, " commonwealth") of Pennsylvania. The secretary is appointed by the governor subject to co ...

. He was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

as a Jacksonian, and began his first term on March 4, 1827. During the 21st and

22nd United States Congress The 22nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1831 ...

es, he was the chairman of the Committee on Militia. In

1829 Events January–March * January 19 – August Klingemann's adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ''Faust'' premieres in Braunschweig. * February 27 – Battle of Tarqui: Troops of Gran Colombia and Peru battle to a draw. * March ...

, Barnard was closely defeated in his attempt to gain the nomination for

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

, at the time a U.S. Representative, described Barnard in a letter as "''a high minded honest man''" who will never "''become the tool of any man''". He undertook part of a second Senate term, but resigned from the Senate on December 6, 1831, due to ill health. He was replaced by a future

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

George M. Dallas George Mifflin Dallas (July 10, 1792 – December 31, 1864) was an American politician and diplomat who served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1828 to 1829, the 11th vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, and U.S. Minister to the ...

. Just before he resigned, the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

papers were reportedly demanding that Barnard be given a place in the

United States Cabinet The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to ...

Personal life

In 1820, Barnard married Harriet Darlington, the daughter of

Isaac Darlington Isaac Darlington (December 13, 1781 – April 27, 1839) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography He was born near West Chester, Pennsylvania and attended Friends School at Birmingham, Pennsylvania. He stu ...

. She died during childbirth in 1823 and he never remarried.

Legacy

Barnard died on February 28, 1834, in West Chester. He was originally interred at the Friends Burying Ground on North High Street but after twenty years he was re-interred in

Oaklands Cemetery Oaklands Cemetery is a rural cemetery founded in 1854 in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located at 1042 Pottstown Pike and is approximately in size. Description and history The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in respon ...

William Everhart William Everhart (May 17, 1785 – October 30, 1868) was an entrepreneur and wealthy businessman from Pennsylvania. He was responsible for developing much of West Chester, Pennsylvania, West Chester and stimulating its economic growth. He was a ...

, a wealthy

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and friend of Barnard's, named a street in West Chester after Barnard sometime after the summer of 1830. In 1854, a monument in Oaklands Cemetery was erected in his memory. File:Isaac Dutton Barnard grave in Oaklands Cemetery, West Chester, Pennsylvania.jpg, Front of the Isaac D. Barnard Memorial File:Isaac D. Barnard Memorial.jpg, Right side of the Isaac D. Barnard Memorial File:Back of Isaac D. Barnard Memorial in Oaklands Cemetery.jpg, Back of the Isaac D. Barnard Memorial File:Left side of Isaac D. Barnard Memorial.jpg, Left side of the Isaac D. Barnard Memorial

Footnotes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Account of Barnard's work regarding a monument to the Battle of Paoli
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Isaac 1791 births 1834 deaths People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democratic-Republicans Pennsylvania Jacksonians Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state senators Pennsylvania lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers United States Army officers People from Pennsylvania in the War of 1812 Burials at Oaklands Cemetery