The Cadwalader family is an American family of military and civilian leaders that were prominent from the late 18th through 19th centuries in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The progenitor of the family, John Cadwalader, was a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
who emigrated from Wales in part to escape religious persecution.
History
John Cadwalader (1677–1734), the patriarch of the Cadwalader family, was born in
Bala
Bala may refer to:
Places
India
*Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India
* Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan
* Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
Romania
* Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...
, Wales before coming to the
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to ...
in
British America
British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 1 ...
in 1697, seeking a place to practice the
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
religion without repression. After inheriting money from his father and uncle, he set himself up as a merchant in Philadelphia and became active in local politics, serving on the
Common Council Common Council may refer to:
* The Court of Common Council, an elected body of the City of London Corporation
* Buffalo Common Council, the legislative branch of the Buffalo, NY City Government
* Los Angeles Common Council, the predecessor of the L ...
. Upon his death in 1734, he left a substantial estate to his family.
John's only son, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader (1707–1779), was born in Philadelphia but returned to Europe to study medicine. He married Hannah Lambert, and together they had eight children.
Among Thomas' children were General
John Cadwalader (1742–1786), a commander of
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, Ma ...
troops during the
Revolutionary War who served under
George Washington and was with him at
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General officer, General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphi ...
, and
Lambert Cadwalader
Lambert Cadwalader (December 1742 – September 13, 1823) was an American merchant and leader in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He fought in the Revolutionary War, then represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congres ...
(1742–1823), a merchant and leader in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
and
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, Ma ...
who also fought in the War, then represented New Jersey in 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. ...
and the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
.
In 1799, General John Cadwalader's daughter, Frances Cadwalader, married into the English aristocracy when she wed the Hon.
David Erskine (who later served as
British Minister to the U.S. and in 1823 succeeded as the 2nd
Baron Erskine). Among their children were
Thomas Americus Erskine, 3rd Baron Erskine (1802–1877), and
John Cadwalader Erskine, 4th Baron Erskine (1804–1882),
Edward Morris Erskine
The Hon. Edward Erskine (28 March 1817 – 19 April 1883) was a British diplomat who was envoy to Greece and Sweden and Norway.
Early life
Edward Morris Erskine was born on 28 March 1817. He was the fourth son of David Erskine, 2nd Baron Erskin ...
(1817–1883), and James Stuart Erskine (1821–1904), who was created
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
von Erskine by
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...
.
Lambert Cadwalader married Mary McCall, the daughter of Archibald and Judith (née Kemble) McCall. Their only child was
Thomas McCall Cadwalader (1795–1873), who married Maria Charlotte Gouverneur (sister of
Samuel Laurence Gouverneur and the niece of
Elizabeth Kortright and U.S. President
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe wa ...
).
[Rawle, William Henry. ''Colonel Lambert Cadwalader, of Trenton, New Jersey.'' Philadelphia, n.p., 1878.]
Legacy
The Cadwalader family are considered important patrons and supporters of the early artistic and cultural development of the American colonies as well as the new republic. They commissioned works by American masters, including
Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and ...
,
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists.
For the length ...
, and
Susan Macdowell Eakins
Susan Hannah Eakins ( Macdowell; September 21, 1851 – December 27, 1938) was an American painter and photographer. Her works were first shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she was a student. She won the Mary Smith Prize th ...
.
Prominent members
*
Thomas Cadwalader (1708–1779)
*
John Cadwalader (1742–1786)
*
Lambert Cadwalader
Lambert Cadwalader (December 1742 – September 13, 1823) was an American merchant and leader in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He fought in the Revolutionary War, then represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congres ...
(1742–1823)
*
Thomas McCall Cadwalader (1795–1873)
*
Samuel Ringgold (1796–1846)
*
Cadwalader Ringgold
Cadwalader Ringgold (August 20, 1802 – April 29, 1867) was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service ...
(1802–1867)
*
George A. McCall
George Archibald McCall (March 16, 1802 – February 25, 1868) was a United States Army officer who became a brigadier general and prisoner of war during the American Civil War. He was also a naturalist.
Biography
McCall was born in Philadel ...
(1802–1868)
*
John Cadwalader (1805–1879)
*
George Cadwalader
George Cadwalader (May 16, 1806 – February 3, 1879) was a general in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War and American Civil War.
Biography
Cadwalader was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied law and was admitted to th ...
(1806–1879)
*
John Lambert Cadwalader
John Lambert Cadwalader (November 11, 1836 – March 11, 1914) was an American lawyer.
Early life
John Lambert Cadwalader was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on November 17, 1836. He was the eldest son of General Thomas McCall Cadwalader (1795–1 ...
(1836–1914)
*
Mary Cadwalader Rawle (1850–1935)
*
Gouverneur Cadwalader (1880–1935)
Gallery
Dr Thomas Cadwalader, by Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827).jpg, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader, by Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and ...
(1770)
Charles_Willson_Peale,_American_-_Portrait_of_John_and_Elizabeth_Lloyd_Cadwalader_and_their_Daughter_Anne_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, John and Elizabeth Lloyd Cadwalader and their daughter Anne, by Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and ...
(1772)
Colonel Lambert Cadwalader (1743-1823), by Charles Willson Peale (1741 - 1827).jpg, Lambert Cadwalader, by Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and ...
(1771)
Charles Willson Peale - General John Cadwalader - 1999.27.30 - Smithsonian American Art Museum.jpg, General John Cadwalader, by Charles Willson Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and ...
()
Williamina Bond Cadwalader.jpg, Mrs. John Cadwalader (née Williamina Bond), by Robert Field (1790s)
Portrait of Frances Cadwalader Montague, Lady Erskine.jpg, Lady Erskine (née Frances Cadwalader), by Gilbert Stuart (1802)
John-Cadwalader.jpg, John Cadwalader (–1865)
Mary Cadwalader Rawle.jpg, Mary Cadwalader Rawle, by William Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone (September 26, 1830 – September 15, 1875) was an American portrait painter.
Stone was born in Derby, Connecticut, to a prominent family. He studied under Nathaniel Jocelyn in New Haven from 1848, until Jocelyn's studio suf ...
(1868)
General George Cadwalader, by Thomas Eakins.jpg, General George Cadwalader, by Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists.
For the length ...
()
Susan Macdowell Eakins, General Cadwalader Seated at a Table, 1882.jpg, General Thomas McCall Cadwalader, by Susan Macdowell Eakins
Susan Hannah Eakins ( Macdowell; September 21, 1851 – December 27, 1938) was an American painter and photographer. Her works were first shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she was a student. She won the Mary Smith Prize th ...
(1882)
Maj. B.L. Cadwalader LCCN2014718037.jpg, Maj. Bertram L. Cadwalader (1900)
John Lambert Cadwalader.jpg, John Lambert Cadwalader ()
See also
*
Cadwalader Park
*
SS ''John Cadwalader''
*
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (known as Cadwalader) is a white-shoe law firm, and is New York City's oldest law firm and one of the oldest continuously operating legal practices in the United States. Attorney John Wells founded the practice i ...
*
Baron Erskine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwalader family
American families of Welsh ancestry
Political families of the United States
Families from New York (state)
Families from New Jersey