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

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during 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 ...

and the 11th Governor of Virginia. He was an abolitionist.

Early life

Born in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...

, 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 British-born planter. The only member of the British peerage to permanently reside in British America, Fairfax owned the Northern Neck Proprietary in the Colony ...

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 Jean Moncure, and they had no children who lived into adulthood. Wood was commissioned a captain of Virginia troops by the Governor, Lord Dunmore, in 1774. He took part in the

Battle of Point Pleasant The Battle of Point Pleasant, also known as the Battle of Kanawha and the Battle of Great 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 ...

during

Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War, also known as Dunmore's War, was a brief conflict in the fall of 1774 between the British Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo in the trans-Appalachia region of the colony south of the Ohio River. Broadly, the war in ...

and afterward negotiated the Treaty of Fort Pitt with the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

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 o ...

, and he led the regiment during the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British military campaign during the American Revolutionary War designed to gain control of Philadelphia, the Revolutionary-era capital where the Second Continental Congress convened, formed the ...

and

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

campaigns of the next two years. In late 1777, he quartered at the house also occupied by the family of Sally Wister, who described him as "of the most amiable of men." His regiment was redesignated the 8th Virginia Regiment 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 ...

when British prisoners from the

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

were moved to

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. 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 The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

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, 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, which also included

Shenandoah County Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock, V ...

. All ten of the Virginia electors 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 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 ...

. 3 voted for George Clinton. 1 cast his for

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

. 1 cast his for

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

. Which elector voted for which vice presidential candidate is not known. A

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

, in 1796, Wood was elected as Virginia's eleventh governor and served until 1799, after previously being the Federalist gubernatorial candidate in

1794 Events January–March * January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark). * January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...

. In addition to being an original member of the

, 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 and James Wood Middle School in

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States 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 nor ...

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 west ...

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 Moncure family American abolitionists Candidates in the 1794 United States elections