George Izard (October 21, 1776 – November 22, 1828) was a senior officer of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who served as the second governor of Arkansas Territory from 1825 to 1828. He was elected as a member to the

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in 1807.

Early life and education

George Izard was born in Richmond,

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, to Ralph Izard, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and United States Senator from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and Alice DeLancey, niece of New York Governor James DeLancey and a descendant of Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Gertrude Schuyler. He graduated from the College of Philadelphia (present-day

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

) in 1792. He attended military academies in England and Germany and received military engineering instruction in France.

Military career

On November 4, 1794, Izard was commissioned a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the newly established U.S. Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. Returning from Europe, he was assigned to an engineer company at West Point, New York. From there, he was ordered to oversee the construction of Castle Pinckney in

. In January 1800, Izard became aide-de-camp to Army commander

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

. A few months later he was invited by William Loughton Smith, Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal, to serve as his secretary, a position he accepted. He left Portugal the next year and returned to the United States. He officially resigned his army commission in June 1803. In March 1812, Izard was appointed as

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the newly organised 2d Artillery Regiment. He was promoted to Brigadier-General a year later, and served as Wade Hampton's second in command until his resignation, when Izard succeeded him. Promoted to Major-General in January 1814, he was in charge of the Northern Army protecting

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, until ordered to reinforce the Army of Niagara. He was discharged in June 1815.

Governor of Arkansas Territory (1825–1828)

Izard was appointed Governor of Arkansas Territory in March 1825, and served until his death in 1828. He died of complications of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

in Little Rock. Originally buried near the Peabody School there, Izard's remains were moved to Mount Holly Cemetery in 1843.

Legacy

Izard County, Arkansas, is named after him. The unit he commanded still exists as 1st Battalion, 3d Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

References

External links