General William Malcolm (January 23, 1745 – September 1, 1791) was a

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 ...

merchant and officer in 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 commanded Malcolm's Regiment, with

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

as his second in command.

Early life

William Malcolm was born in

Glenrothes, Scotland Glenrothes (; , ; sco, Glenrothes; gd, Gleann Rathais) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making it ...

on January 23, 1745 and was a member of the

Clan Malcolm The Clan Malcolm, also known as the Clan MacCallum, is a Highland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Counci ...

. He was the third son of Richard Malcolm, Baronet of Balbedie and Innertiel in the county of

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

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 the ...

. When he came to America in 1763, he brought a number of family portraits and other valuables.

Career

In 1763, he moved to

as agent of a Glasgow firm of which he was a partner, and established himself as an import/export merchant. His business was in Queen Street, now known as Pearl Street. The same year he joined the

Society of St. Andrew The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) is a grassroots, faith-based, hunger relief nonprofit working with all denominations to bridge the hunger gap between 96 billion pounds ( billion kilograms) of food wasted every year in the United States and the ne ...

and was its secretary from 1765 to 1766, treasurer and secretary from 1772 to 1774, one of the managers in 1784, and vice president from 1785 to 1787. Malcolm grew wealthy, and as his influence increased he took part in politics and government, including serving as a member of the

New York 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 in the United ...

in 1774.

Revolutionary War service

Malcolm was also active in the militia, and volunteered for military service during the American Revolution. He served in New York's military and 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 ...

throughout the Revolution, including assignments as Deputy

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the Northern Department under

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battles ...

. In 1777, Malcolm was appointed to command a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

. Called

Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment was one of the sixteen Additional Continental regiments authorized by the Second Continental Congress for the Continental Army. The regiment's colonel was William Malcolm, a wealthy New York City merchant ...

, he raised the organization and used his own funds to pay and equip it. He commanded as

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, with Aaron Burr as second in command and

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, though Burr was often the de facto commander as the result of Malcolm's detached assignments as Deputy Adjutant General or for other duties. Malcolm took part in the battles of

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

, White Plains, Trenton and

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

. He was with the Army during the 1777-1778 winter at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

, and he later commanded Continental forces in upstate

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 * '' ...

. Near the end of the Revolution he was appointed commander of the militia in

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Counties 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 ...

Post War

In 1784, and again in 1787, he was elected to the

New York Provincial Congress The New York Provincial Congress (1775–1777) was a revolutionary provisional government formed by colonists in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-American alternative to the more conservative New York General Assembly, and as a repla ...

where he supported

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 ...

in his motion to restore the elective franchise to the Tories and he favored the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

. In 1785, he served on New York City's

Board of Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

. As head of the militia in and around New York City, Malcolm commanded George Washington's escort when Washington took the oath of office as the first

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. Malcolm was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

as a member of St. John's Lodge No. 1 in New York City, a member of the

Saint Andrew's Society Saint Andrew's Society refers to one of many independent organizations celebrating Scottish heritage which can be found all over the world. Some Saint Andrew's Societies limit membership to people born in Scotland or their descendants. Some sti ...

and the Saint Nicholas Society, and a founder of New York City's

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

Personal life

Malcolm was married twice. His first wife was Abigail Tingley, whom he married in 1765, and who died in 1770. His second wife was Sarah Ayscough, the daughter of Richard Ayscough and Catharine Bayard, whom he married on February 5, 1772. Together, they were the parents of * Richard Montgomery Malcolm (1776–1823), who married Ann Henry * Samuel Bayard Malcolm (1777–1817), who married Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1780–1875), the youngest daughter of

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 18, 1804) was an American general in the Revolutionary War and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler. Born in Alba ...

. After his death, his widow married James Cochran (1769–1848). William Malcolm died in New York City on September 1, 1791. He was buried in Manhattan's Brick Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Descendants

Malcolm's descendants included members of the prominent

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People * Bayard (given name) *Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places * Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community *Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood *Bayard, ...

Schuyler Schuyler may refer to: Places United States * Schuyler County, Illinois * Schuyler County, Missouri * Schuyler, Nebraska, a city * Schuyler County, New York * Schuyler, New York, a town * Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York * Schuyler C ...

and Montgomery families. His grandchildren, through his son, Samuel, included: Philip Schuyler Malcolm (b. 1804), Catharine Elizabeth Malcolm (b. 1809), William Schuyler Malcolm (1810-1890), and Alexander Hamilton Malcolm (1815–1888). Through his son, Richard, he was the grandfather of Sarah Ayscough Malcolm (1802–1888), who married Thomas P. Ball (1792–1744). His great-grandson was James Mortimer Montgomery (1855–1926).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, William 1745 births 1791 deaths People from Glenrothes Continental Army officers from New York (state) New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Members of the New York State Assembly Members of the New York Provincial Congress New York City Council members 18th-century American politicians