Louis Littlepage
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Louis Littlepage or Lewis Littlepage (1762–1802) was an American
diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
, who most notably served in the
royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
of the last Polish King, Stanisław August Poniatowski.


Biography

The life and career of Lewis Littlepage are remarkable for their reach into so many of the centers of power during the late eighteenth century. Biographies by Curtis Carroll Davis and Nell Holladay Boand follow the trail with many references and excerpts from the original correspondence.


Youth

Littlepage was born on December 19, 1762, in
Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the wester ...
or
New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. History N ...
(accounts vary), the son of a prominent citizen, Colonel James Littlepage.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 194 Lewis Littlepage's father, James Littlepage, was the first Clerk of Louisa County, and was elected to the House of Burgesses of Hanover in 1764. Lewis was the elder of two children from his father's second marriage, in 1761, to Elizabeth (Betty) Lewis. After the Colonel's death in 1764, Betty married Lewis Holladay, (who rose to the rank of major during the American Revolution) of
Spotsylvania County Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the July 2021 estimate, the population was 143,676. Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse. History At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that bec ...
. This resulted in Littlepage having a half-brother, Waller Holladay (1776–1860), the father of U. S. Representative
Alexander Holladay Alexander Richmond Holladay (September 18, 1811 – January 29, 1877) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia. Early life and background Born on the Prospect Hill plantation, Belmont, in Spotsylvania County (now in Mineral, Vir ...
(1811–1877).


Early years

After distinction in studies at the College of William and Mary in
Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...
, Littlepage first went to
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
in 1780 under the head of the American delegation to Spain,
John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...
. He fought and was wounded in the invasion of Minorca in 1781, while acting as a volunteer aide de camp to the Duc de Crillon. During the sea battle of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, Littlepage was an observer aboard the Spanish fleet; he made extensive notes and sketches that were well received at the Spanish court. The assault that took place however was a huge defeat for the Bourbon allies; Littlepage was on board a
floating battery A floating battery is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship. History Use of timber rafts loaded with cannon by Danish defenders of Copenhagen a ...
that was sunk, but he was saved. Subsequently in Cadiz, he met the Marquis de Lafayette with whom he journeyed to Paris in 1783. After a bitter dispute with John Jay over a perceived insult, Littlepage left
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, on an expedition with the Prince of Nassau. He traveled to the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
, where he observed the
Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
session that took place in Grodno in 1784.


Service to the Polish king

At that meeting he was offered and accepted a post in the
royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
of the Polish King, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Littlepage then travelled back to Virginia in 1785, to work out family problems and to request the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
not to revoke his
American citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
citizenship due to his projected service to the government of another nation.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 195 While in Virginia, he met with Patrick Henry and 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 ...
. In New York he had a second unfortunate encounter with John Jay resulting in bitter newspaper exchanges. Brockholst Livingston (companion from Madrid) helped Littlepage get free from legal snags in time for his ship's departure. On his return to Europe, Littlepage first met Thomas Jefferson in Paris and subsequently continued on to Poland, where he advanced quickly. He was sworn in as First Confidential Secretary to the King, with the rank of
Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
in 1786. In 1787 he participated in a diplomatic mission to the
Russian Court The Judiciary of Russia interprets and applies the law of Russia. It is defined under the Constitution and law with a hierarchical structure with the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court at the apex. The district courts are the primary crimina ...
at a celebratory meeting near
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
. Littlepage headed a mission to Versailles in 1787-88 with the goal of increasing protection for Poland by promoting an alliance between Russia, France, Austria, and Spain. For this mission, Poniatowski made Littlepage his acting representative to France, effectively replacing the ailing Count Monnet.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 196 After successful diplomacy but a blocked mission, Littlepage left France, and joined in the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
led by Prince Potemkin.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 197 First Littlepage served as aide de camp for Potemkin; then he commanded five vessels under Prince de Nassau and lastly under John Paul Jones. In late 1788 he returned to the Polish capital, and was sent to Austria, Italy and finally Spain (
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
). In 1790 he received the Order of Saint Stanislaw. In 1791, Littlepage was back in Warsaw, and carried out various diplomatic missions for Stanislas II that supported the
Constitution of May 3, 1791 The Constitution of 3 May 1791,; lt, Gegužės trečiosios konstitucija titled the Governance Act, was a constitution adopted by the Great Sejm ("Four-Year Sejm", meeting in 1788–1792) for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, a dual mo ...
). At the time of the
Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...
in 1793, King Stanislas wrote a letter to Littlepage, apologizing for being unable to pay him properly for his long service (at that time, Poniatowski and the Polish treasury were in debt and subject to Russian command). Poniatowski promised a sum of 24,000 ducats, with a note that he was then unable to pay, but authorized Littlepage to seek this compensation even after his death. At that point, the Russian ambassador to Poland,
Jacob Sievers Jacob Johann Graf von Sievers (30 August 1731 in Wesenberg (now Rakvere), Estonia – 23 July 1808 in Bauenhof, Governorate of Livonia (near what is now Valmiera, Latvia)) was a Baltic German statesman of the Russian Empire from the Sievers ...
, prevented Littlepage from communicating with the Czarina on behalf of Stanislas but did promise to honor his debt to Littlepage when it became possible. In 1794 Kosciuszko led a bloody insurrection that surprisingly expelled the Russians from Poland for many months. Littlepage joined in the battle to defend Vilna from the Russians. For his service to the Russians in the Black Sea campaign, the Supreme National Council (central civil government of Poland, loyal to the Kościuszko Insurrection) initially accused Littlepage of being a traitor. Littlepage protested and sought letters from
Tadeusz Kosciuszko ''Tadeusz'' is a Polish first name, derived from Thaddaeus. Tadeusz may refer to: * Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966), Polish military leader * Tadeusz Borowski (1922–1951), Polish writer and The Holocaust survivor * Tadeusz Boy-Żeleńs ...
and from King Stanislas; both strongly supported his loyalty to an independent Poland. This support for Polish causes cooled his relations with Catherine and Russia.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 198


Final years

In 1795, the year of the third and final partition of Poland, Littlepage wanted to return to Virginia, bearing a letter of support from King Poniatowski to George Washington. However, he was forced by scarce resources to remain in Europe.Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 199 During these years, he was nevertheless able to render financial assistance to the distressed Princess Gagarin and Adrienne de Lafayette. According to his own account, Littlepage wanted to accompany Poniatowski to Grodno even into house arrest. He was prevented from doing so by order of the Russian Empress
Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
. After Catherine's death in late 1796, Paul I forced Stanislas to Petersburg, forever away from Poland. His death occurred in 1798 causing overwhelming grief for Littlepage. The Emperor Paul I reversed many of Catherine's decisions, probably resulting in Littlepage being promised his backpay in about 1800. Finally, in 1801, he was able to return to America. Since 1786 Littlepage had often corresponded with Thomas Jefferson concerning occurrences and perceptions in Europe. On his return, he went directly to the Federal City to meet with President Jefferson. Thereafter he took up residence back in Virginia.Raleigh Travers Green, Philip Slaughter, ''Genealogical and historical notes on Culpeper county, Virginia'', R.T. Green, 1900
Google Print, p.48-50
(public domain)
Before a year had passed Lewis Littlepage died in
Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...
on 19 July 1802.


References

For extensive biographies see the books below and the references therein. * Nell Holladay Boand, ''Lewis Littlepage'', Whittet & Shepperson, 1970 * Curtis Carroll Davis, ''The king's chevalier: a biography of Lewis Littlepage'', Bobbs-Merrill, 1961 Further reading * Mieczyslaw Haiman, ''Polacy wsrod pionierow Ameryki...'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Littlepage, Louis 1762 births 1802 deaths People from Virginia American diplomats Diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth