Hugh Shiell (died November 1785?) was an Irish

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who became a financier and patriot of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. Born in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Shiell studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. He graduated with his M.D. and emigrated to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

where he opened a medical practice. By this point he had amassed a substantial fortune and became familiar with the wealthy elite of his new city; he became close friends with banker and financier of the

Robert Morris Robert or Bob Morris may refer to: :''Ordered chronologically within each section.'' Politics and the law * Robert Hunter Morris (1700–1764), lieutenant governor of Colonial Pennsylvania * Robert Morris (financier) (1734–1806), one of the Foun ...

. In 1780, Shiell invested a large sum of money in Morris’

Bank of North America The Bank of North America was the first chartered bank in the United States, and served as the country's first ''de facto'' central bank. It was chartered by the Congress of the Confederation on May 26, 1781, and opened in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...

, which was the first bank in the United States and which supplied the American troops with provisions.

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

alluded to Shiell in a letter to

James Lovell James Arthur Lovell Jr. ( ; born March 25, 1928) is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he became, with Frank Borman and William Anders, one of the fi ...

. James Armstrong Sr recommended him to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. Through his friendship with Morris, Shiell met his wife, Ann Harris; they had one child, Catherine. Alongside his medical practice, Shiell ran a shipping business, records of which are held in the archive of the

Kentucky Historical Society The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is an agency of the Kentucky state government that records and preserves important historical documents, buildings, and artifacts of Kentucky's past. It was originally established in 1836 as a private organiz ...

. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1781. In 1783 or 1784, he retired from city life and relocated with his family to

Lincoln County, Kentucky Lincoln County is a county located in south-central Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,275. Its county seat is Stanford. Lincoln County is part of the Danville, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Lincoln County ...

, where, among other activities, he operated a distillery. He died not long thereafter, attempting to cross a stream; he either drowned or caught pneumonia and died later. His widow subsequently married Harry Innes. His name is inscribed on a plaque at the American Revolution Memorial in

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...

. The memorial was erected "to honor and commemorate the men who fought in the American Revolution and sleep in Boyle County Kentucky."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiell, Hugh Members of the American Philosophical Society 18th-century Irish medical doctors 1785 deaths Year of birth unknown Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School Financiers of the American Revolution American businesspeople in shipping Irish emigrants to the United States American drink distillers Medical doctors from County Dublin Businesspeople from County Dublin Physicians from Philadelphia