John Harvie (1742 – February 6, 1807) was an American

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

, lawyer and builder from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. He was a delegate to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

, where he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

, in 1777 and 1778. He was a successful lawyer and landowner, as well as the fourth mayor of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

was a friend since his childhood; his father was Jefferson's guardian. He negotiated a peace treaty in 1774 after the

Battle of Point Pleasant The Battle of Point Pleasant, also known as the Battle of Kanawha, was the only major action of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, between the Virginia militia and Shawnee and Mingo warriors. Along the Ohio River near modern-day ...

. 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 ...

, he was on the

Board of War The Board of War, also known as the Board of War and Ordinance, was created by the Second Continental Congress as a special standing committee to oversee the American Continental Army's administration and to make recommendations regarding the ar ...

and operated a prison of war camp on his property, The Barracks.

Personal life

Harvie was born at Belmont Plantation in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Cha ...

, in 1742, to Scottish immigrant

John Harvie Sr. John Harvie, often called Colonel John Harvie (1706–1767), was raised in Stirlingshire, Scotland and immigrated to the United States. He settled in Albemarle County, Virginia by 1735 and purchased Belmont that was a plantation near Shadwe ...

(1706–1767) and Martha Gaines Harvie. His brother Richard managed a store in

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...

and had established R. Harvie & Company or Harvie & Company with a partner. Harvie was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and Robert Morris. His father was Jefferson's legal guardian after

Peter Jefferson Peter Jefferson (February 29, 1708 – August 17, 1757) was a planter, cartographer and politician in colonial Virginia best known for being the father of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. The "Fry-Jefferson Map", cre ...

died in 1757. Harvie was a lawyer who settled in

Augusta County Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its cou ...

In 1767, Harvie inherited Belmont Plantation. His mother moved to Georgia with his eight siblings. He married Margaret Morton Jones, daughter of Gabriel Jones and Margaret Strother Morton Jones. They had four sons—Lewis, John, Edwin, and Jacquelin—and three daughters, Gabriella, Emily, and Julia. He lived at Belmont until 1780, when he moved to Richmond.

Career

Law and business

Harvie amassed a fortune through his business and financial skills in Richmond and across the state. He was one of the first directors of

Bank of Virginia Cordia Bancorp Inc (formerly trading as NCM:'BVA'') was a bank holding company for the Midlothian, VA-based Bank of Virginia. Before being acquired by First Citizens Bank, Cordia Bancorp operated six full-service banking branches around the Richmon ...

and was superintendent of subscriptions of capital stock for the bank. He built a successful law practice, one of the first lawyers who practiced at the Albemarle bar.

Politics

After Governor

Dunmore Dunmore from the ga, Dún Mór, link=no or gd, Dùn Mòr, link=no, meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguat ...

dissolved the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

, West Augusta County voters elected Harvie as one of their two delegates to its successor, the five Virginia revolutionary conventions legislature in 1775 and 1776. The following year fellow legislators elected Harvie as one of Virginia's delegate to the

. Biographical entry at the

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fro ...

. Harvie never lived in West Augusta County, which never incorporated (the land ultimately became Ohio County, Monongalia County and Yohogania Counties) but trans-Appalachian counties had difficulties both in financing their representatives travel and in finding men willing to take the long and grueling journey to the state capitol. While at 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. ...

, Harvie was one of five Virginia delegates to sign the Articles of Confederation on July 9, 1778. He was appointed the registrar of the Land Office in 1780, for which he moved to Richmond. His office was responsible for transactions in the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

, western Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. From 1785 to 1786, Harvie served as the mayor of Richmond.

Military

In 1774, he was named as a commissioner to 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 ...

tribe to negotiate a peace treaty after the

. He was a colonel in the Virginia militia in 1776. Harvie and Thomas Walker of Castle Hill were assigned as joint commissioners and given plenary powers to negotiate with Native Americans at Fort Pitt. Colonel Harvie served as a purchasing agent and supply organizer for Virginia's militia and

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 ...

units. He was also on the

during the

. Becoming aware of the conditions 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 ...

, members of Congress came to the encampment to inspect for themselves. Washington's reputation and ability to lead were questioned. Harvie told Washington, "My dear General, if you had given some explanation, all these rumors enigrating Washingtonwould have been silenced a long time ago." Based upon his influence, Harvie procured the establishment of the Prison Camp at The Barracks that held 6,000 Hessian and British soldiers in January 1779. Harvey purchased the 240 acre property from Richard Anderson around 1778. It is located west of Charlottesville. Brick buildings housed troops. It had gardens, farm animals, poultry and other outbuildings. A number of men deserted and settled in the mountains, where they married Native American women. Remaining soldiers were taken north when the camp was closed up in November 1780.

Land owner and developer

Harvie owned large estates, including Belmont, Pen Park, and The Barracks. In 1798, he bought the Belvidere estate in Richmond from Judge

Bushrod Washington Bushrod Washington (June 5, 1762 – November 26, 1829) was an American attorney and politician who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1798 to 1829. On the Supreme Court, he was a staunch ally of Ch ...

. It was compared to other stately manors, like

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, and was said to be "an extremely handsome house, and of decidedly superior architecture, being beautifully proportioned". He had 12 enslaved men in 1782 and no mention of free males. He had 6 cattle and 7 colts and mules. On January 24, 1782, an ad was published in the ''Virginia Gazette'' and ''American Advertiser'' about Jordan, one of his slaves who ran away. In 1789, Harvie owned 17 enslaved males, 2 of whom were between 12 and 16. He was taxed for his property in Fredricksville Parish of Albemarle County; there were 2 white males and 10 horses.

Death and legacy

While he was inspecting the construction of a mansion being built by

Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was an Anglo-American neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dra ...

, Harvie fell from the roof and suffered injuries that resulted in his death. He died on February 6, 1807, and was buried at the family plot at Belvidere. This property later became part of the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. His wife Margaret inherited the 20-acre Belvidere estate and lived there until 1814, when she sold it. Harvie Street between Park Avenue and Cary Street in Richmond was named after Harvie. Jacquelin Street is said to have been named after his son, General Jacquelin Harvie.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvie, John 1742 births 1807 deaths American people of Scottish descent Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia Mayors of Richmond, Virginia Virginia lawyers Continental Congressmen from Virginia 18th-century American politicians Signers of the Articles of Confederation Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Virginia People from Albemarle County, Virginia Virginia colonial people American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law