James Wood (January 28, 1741June 16, 1813) was an officer of the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Continental Army during 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 Revoluti ...

and the

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first atteste ...

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

Early life

Born in Winchester

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost county ...

. on January 28, 1741, Wood was the son of an immigrant of the same name who performed surveys for

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781), was a Scottish peer. He was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and Catherine Colepeper, daughter of Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper. The ...

and helped found the town. He was educated privately and became active like his father in the local parish, Christ Episcopal Church in Winchester.

Career

In February 1760 he was appointed Deputy Clerk of the County Court. From 1766 to 1775 he served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He married Jane Moncure and they had no children. Wood was commissioned a captain of Virginia troops by the Governor,

Lord Dunmore Earl of Dunmore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. History The title was created in 1686 for Lord Charles Murray, second son of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl. He was made Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillimet (or Tullimet) and V ...

, in 1774. He took part in the Battle of Point Pleasant during

Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War—or Dunmore's War—was a 1774 conflict between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations. The Governor of Virginia during the conflict was John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore—Lord Dunmore. H ...

, and afterwards negotiated the Treaty of Fort Pitt with the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

Indians.

American Revolutionary War service

In 1776 Wood was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Frederick County Militia. In February 1777 he became commander of the

12th Virginia Regiment The 12th Virginia Regiment was raised on September 16, 1776, at Williamsburg, Virginia, for service with the (U.S.) Continental Army. The regiment saw action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of ...

, and he led the regiment during the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to dra ...

and Monmouth campaigns of the next two years. In late 1777, he quartered at the house also occupied by the family of

Sally Wister Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting nam ...

, who described him as "of the most amiable of men." His regiment was redesignated the

8th Virginia Regiment The 8th Virginia Regiment or German Regiment was an infantry unit that served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Authorized in January 1776, the regiment was raised from men of several northwestern counties in the stre ...

in September 1778 and Wood was appointed Superintendent of the

Convention Army The Convention Army (1777–1783) was an army of British and allied troops captured after the Battles of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War. Convention of Saratoga On 17 October 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army a ...

when British prisoners from the Saratoga campaign were moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. He continued in that capacity until it was dissolved in January 1783, when he was promoted to brigadier general in the Virginia militia. After the war, Wood became an original member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati.

Politics

From 1784 to 1796 Wood was a member of Virginia's Executive Council. He was chosen as an elector for the 1789 election from Hampshire District. That District consisted of Berkeley County, Frederick County, Hampshire County, Hardy County, Harrison County, Monongalia County, Ohio County and

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

, which cover the area which is now the eastern part of West Virginia and the northernmost county of Virginia, all within

Virginia's 1st congressional district Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district split between a suburban north and rural south. Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's ...

, which also included

Shenandoah County Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock. It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virgin ...

. All of the 10 electors from Virginia who voted cast one of their two votes for George Washington. 5 of them cast their other vote for

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

. 3 voted for George Clinton. 1 cast his for

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...

. 1 cast his for

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 ...

. Which elector voted for which vice presidential candidate is not known. A Federalist, in 1796 Wood was elected as Virginia's eleventh governor, and he served until 1799. In addition to being an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati, he was also a leading member of an early abolition society in Virginia. Wood served as President of the Society of the Cincinnati from 1802 until his death.

Death and legacy

Wood died in Richmond on June 16, 1813. He was buried at Richmond in St. John’s churchyard.

James Wood High School James Wood High School is located at the northern tip of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, be ...

and James Wood Middle School in

are named after the famous Revolutionary War Colonel, as is

Wood County, West Virginia Wood County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,296, making it West Virginia's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Parkersburg. The county was formed in 1798 from the weste ...

References

External links

*
A Guide to the Governor James Wood Executive Papers, 1796-1799
' a
The Library of Virginia
*

' a
National Governors Association
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, James 1741 births 1813 deaths Governors of Virginia Politicians from Winchester, Virginia Virginia Federalists Federalist Party state governors of the United States American militia officers American militia generals Continental Army officers from Virginia Burials in Virginia Moncure family American abolitionists