Fulwar Skipwith: Difference between revisions

Fulwar Skipwith
Fulwar Skipwith
Governor of the Republic of West Florida
	In office; September 27, 1810 – December 10, 1810
Vice President	Thomas B. Robertson
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	February 21, 1765; Dinwiddie County, Virginia, U.S.
Died	January 7, 1839 (aged 73); Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Profession	Soldier, Diplomat, Politician, Farmer

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Fulwar Skipwith (February 21, 1765 – January 7, 1839) was an American soldier, diplomat, politician and farmer. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he served as a U.S. Consul in Martinique, and later as the U.S. Consul-General in France. He was instrumental in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, was the first and only governor of the Republic of West Florida in 1810, and was a founding member of the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge.^[1]

Early life

Skipwith was born into an influential family in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

His cousin, Henry Skipwith, was a brother-in-law to Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. President 1801–1809.^[2] Skipwith studied at the College of William & Mary, but left at age 16 to enlist in the army during the American Revolutionary War. He served at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. After American independence was achieved, he entered the tobacco trade.

Diplomatic career & family

Following the French Revolution of 1789, Skipwith was appointed as US Consul to the French colony of Martinique in 1790. He experienced the turmoil of the Revolution, as well as the aftermath of the abortive slave insurrection in Martinique, before departing in 1793.^[3] In 1795, Skipwith was appointed Consul-General in Paris under the US Minister to France, James Monroe.

On June 2, 1802, Fulwar Skipwith married Evelina Louisa Barlié Van den Clooster, a Flemish baroness. Their children were Lelia, who married Thomas B. Robertson; Evelina, who married Edward H. Barton; and George Grey Skipwith.^[4]

Skipwith assisted Robert Livingston (known as "The Chancellor" for the high New York state legal office he held) in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and actively participated in the transfer of 828,000 square miles of land in its southern part.^[5]

Republic of West Florida

In 1809, Skipwith moved to Spanish West Florida. As a member of the first West Florida judiciary, he took part in the 1810 West Florida rebellion against Spain, and served as Governor of the short-lived Republic of West Florida. On October 27, 1810, West Florida was annexed to the United States by proclamation of U.S. President James Madison, who claimed it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.^[6]

At first, Skipwith and the West Florida government – located in St. Francisville – were opposed to the proclamation, preferring to negotiate terms to join the Union as a separate state. However, the Territory of Orleans Governor, William C. C. Claiborne, who led armed troops to take possession in December 1810, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the West Florida government. Skipwith and the legislature reluctantly agreed to accept Madison's proclamation, believing it not sufficiently respectful of the elected government.^[7]

Later life

Skipwith was elected to serve in the Louisiana State Senate where he served as that body's second President. In December 1814, during the War of 1812, Magloire Guichard and Skipwith sponsored a legislative resolution to grant amnesty to "the privateers lately resorting to Barataria, who might be deterred from offering their services for fear of prosecution." This led to Jean Lafitte^[8] and his men joining in the defense of New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans, when the city was attacked by British forces.

In 1827, Skipwith, Armand Duplantier, Antoine Blanc, Thomas B. Robertson, and Sebastien Hiriart received permission from the Louisiana State Legislature to organize a corporation called the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge.^[9] The purpose of the society was as follows: "The sole and special objects of the said society shall be the improvement of agriculture, the amelioration of the breed of horses, of horned cattle, and others, and in all of the several branches relative to agriculture in a country."^[9]

Skipwith died at his plantation, Montesano, near Baton Rouge, on January 7, 1839, at age 73.

References

^ Acts Passed at the Second Session of the Seventh Legislature of the State of Louisiana. J. C. de St. Romes, R. Perdreauville. 1826. p. 46.
^ Jefferson, Thomas; Looney, J. Jefferson (2004). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, Volume 1: 4 March 1809 to 15 November 1809. Princeton University Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-691-12121-5.
^ Chenicek, Jolynda Brock (2008), Dereliction of Diplomacy: The American Consulates in Paris and Bordeaux During the Napoleonic Era, 1804—1815, Florida State University, p. 44, ISBN 9780549711094, retrieved July 22, 2012
^ SKIPWITH, Fulwar Archived August 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine in Louisiana Historical Association's Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, retrieved 04 August 2017.
^ Kennedy, Roger G. (2003). Mr. Jefferson's Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase. Oxford University Press. pp. 173–174, 183, 195. ISBN 978-0-19-517607-0.
^ Thorpe, Francis Newton, ed. (1909). The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the State, Territories, and Colonies Now Or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. Vol. 3. p. 1375. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
^ Cox, Isaac Joslin (January 1912). "The American Intervention in West Florida". The American Historical Review. 17 (2). Oxford University Press on behalf of American Historical Association: 290–311. doi:10.1086/ahr/17.2.290. JSTOR 1833000.
^ Davis, William C. (2006). The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. xii. ISBN 978-0-547-35075-2.
^ ^a ^b A general digest of the acts of the legislature of Louisiana, Vol II accessed 01 July 2012.

David A. Bice. The Original Lone Star Republic: Scoundrels, Statesmen and Schemers of the 1810 West Florida Rebellion. Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2004. ISBN 1-891647-81-4

External links

Skipwith wrote various letters to people such as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, which are available at Founders Online from the U.S. National Archives.
Governor Fulwar Skipwith's speech to the West Florida legislature in St. Francisville, University of South Florida
SKIPWITH, Fulwar at Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (Scroll down.)
Fulwar Skipwith; Genealogy of most valuable negro slave family ever purchased in Virginia Special Collections catalog listing, Tulane University
Fulwar Skipwith Papers at Mystic Seaport maritime museum

[Lousiana1826-1] Acts Passed at the Second Session of the Seventh Legislature of the State of Louisiana. J. C. de St. Romes, R. Perdreauville. 1826. p. 46.

[JeffersonLooney2004-2] Jefferson, Thomas; Looney, J. Jefferson (2004). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, Volume 1: 4 March 1809 to 15 November 1809. Princeton University Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-691-12121-5.

[3] Chenicek, Jolynda Brock (2008), Dereliction of Diplomacy: The American Consulates in Paris and Bordeaux During the Napoleonic Era, 1804—1815, Florida State University, p. 44, ISBN 9780549711094, retrieved July 22, 2012

[4] SKIPWITH, Fulwar Archived August 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine in Louisiana Historical Association's Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, retrieved 04 August 2017.

[Kennedy2003-5] Kennedy, Roger G. (2003). Mr. Jefferson's Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase. Oxford University Press. pp. 173–174, 183, 195. ISBN 978-0-19-517607-0.

[6] Thorpe, Francis Newton, ed. (1909). The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the State, Territories, and Colonies Now Or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. Vol. 3. p. 1375. Retrieved June 2, 2024.

[Cox1912-7] Cox, Isaac Joslin (January 1912). "The American Intervention in West Florida". The American Historical Review. 17 (2). Oxford University Press on behalf of American Historical Association: 290–311. doi:10.1086/ahr/17.2.290. JSTOR 1833000.

[Davis2006-8] Davis, William C. (2006). The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. xii. ISBN 978-0-547-35075-2.

[auto-9] A general digest of the acts of the legislature of Louisiana, Vol II accessed 01 July 2012.

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@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 }}
-'''Fulwar Skipwith''' (February 21, 1765 – January 7, 1839) was an American [[soldier]], [[diplomat]], [[politician]] and [[farmer]]. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he served as a U.S. Consul in [[Martinique]], and later as the U.S. [[Consul (representative)|Consul-General]] in [[France]]. He was instrumental in negotiating the [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803 was the first and only governor of the [[Republic of West Florida]] in 1810 and was a founding member of the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
+'''Fulwar Skipwith''' (February 21, 1765 – January 7, 1839) was an American [[soldier]], [[diplomat]], [[politician]] and [[farmer]]. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he served as a U.S. Consul in [[Martinique]], and later as the U.S. [[Consul (representative)|Consul-General]] in [[France]]. He was instrumental in negotiating the [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803, was the first and only governor of the [[Republic of West Florida]] in 1810, and was a founding member of the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge.<ref name="Lousiana1826">{{cite book |title=Acts Passed at the Second Session of the Seventh Legislature of the State of Louisiana |year=1826 |publisher=J. C. de St. Romes, R. Perdreauville |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D5lGAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA46}}</ref>
 ==Early life==
 Skipwith was born into an influential family in [[Dinwiddie County]], [[Virginia]].
-His cousin, [[Henry Skipwith (born 1751)|Henry Skipwith]], was a brother in law to [[Thomas Jefferson]], the [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] 1801–1809.<ref name="Kennedy JLC">{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Roger G. |title=Mr. Jefferson's Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-517607-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHw8DwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>
+His cousin, [[Henry Skipwith (born 1751)|Henry Skipwith]], was a brother-in-law to [[Thomas Jefferson]], the [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] 1801–1809.<ref name="JeffersonLooney2004">{{cite book |last1=Jefferson |first1=Thomas |last2=Looney |first2=J. Jefferson |title=The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, Volume 1: 4 March 1809 to 15 November 1809 |year=2004 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-12121-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hOk9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA339 |page=339}}</ref> Skipwith studied at the [[College of William & Mary]], but left at age 16 to enlist in the army during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He served at the [[Siege of Yorktown]] in 1781. After [[American Revolution|American independence]] was achieved, he entered the [[tobacco]] trade.
-Skipwith studied at the [[College of William & Mary]], but left at age 16 to enlist in the army during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He served at the [[Siege of Yorktown]] in 1781. After [[American Revolution|American independence]] was achieved, he entered the [[tobacco]] trade.
 ==Diplomatic career & family==
@@ Line 55: / Line 54: @@
 On June 2, 1802, Fulwar Skipwith married Evelina Louisa Barlié Van den Clooster, a [[Flemish people|Flemish]] [[baron]]ess. Their children were Lelia, who married [[Thomas B. Robertson]]; Evelina, who married Edward H. Barton; and George Grey Skipwith.<ref>[http://lahistory.org/site36.php SKIPWITH, Fulwar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805101536/http://lahistory.org/site36.php |date=August 5, 2017 }} in [[Louisiana Historical Association]]'s ''Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', retrieved 04 August 2017.</ref>
-Skipwith assisted [[Robert R. Livingston (chancellor)|Robert Livingston]] (known as "The Chancellor" for the high New York state legal office he held) in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and actively participated in the transfer of 828,000 square miles of land in its southern part.<ref name="Kennedy2003">{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Roger G. |title=Mr. Jefferson's Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-517607-0 |pages=173–174, 183, 195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHw8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA173 |language=en}}</ref>
+Skipwith assisted [[Robert R. Livingston (chancellor)|Robert Livingston]] (known as "The Chancellor" for the high New York state legal office he held) in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, and actively participated in the transfer of 828,000 square miles of land in its southern part.<ref name="Kennedy2003">{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Roger G. |title=Mr. Jefferson's Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the Louisiana Purchase |year=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-517607-0 |pages=173–174, 183, 195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHw8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA173 |language=en}}</ref>
 ==Republic of West Florida==
 {{main article|Republic of West Florida}}
 [[Image:West Florida Flag.svg|thumb|right|Flag of the [[Republic of West Florida]]]]
-In 1809, Skipwith moved to [[Spanish West Florida]].  As a member of the first West Florida [[judiciary]], he took part in the 1810 West Florida rebellion against Spain, and served as Governor of the short-lived Republic of West Florida.  On October 27, 1810, West Florida was annexed to the United States by proclamation of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[James Madison]], who claimed it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
+In 1809, Skipwith moved to [[Spanish West Florida]].  As a member of the first West Florida [[judiciary]], he took part in the 1810 West Florida rebellion against Spain, and served as Governor of the short-lived Republic of West Florida.  On October 27, 1810, West Florida [[s:Respecting taking Possession of Part of Louisiana.|was annexed to the United States by proclamation]] of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[James Madison]], who claimed it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06AYAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1375|title=The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the State, Territories, and Colonies Now Or Heretofore Forming the United States of America|volume=3|date=1909|page=1375|editor-first=Francis Newton|editor-last=Thorpe|access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
-At first, Skipwith and the West Florida government{{spaced ndash}}located in [[St. Francisville, Louisiana|St. Francisville]]{{spaced ndash}}were opposed to the proclamation, preferring to negotiate terms to join the Union as a [[U.S. state|separate state]]. However, the [[Territory of Orleans]] Governor, [[William C. C. Claiborne]], who led armed troops to take possession in December 1810, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the West Florida government. Skipwith and the legislature reluctantly agreed to accept Madison's proclamation, believing it not sufficiently respectful of the elected government.
+At first, Skipwith and the West Florida government{{spaced ndash}}located in [[St. Francisville, Louisiana|St. Francisville]]{{spaced ndash}}were opposed to the proclamation, preferring to negotiate terms to join the Union as a [[U.S. state|separate state]]. However, the [[Territory of Orleans]] Governor, [[William C. C. Claiborne]], who led armed troops to take possession in December 1810, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the West Florida government. Skipwith and the legislature reluctantly agreed to accept Madison's proclamation, believing it not sufficiently respectful of the elected government.<ref name="Cox1912">{{cite journal|title=The American Intervention in West Florida |first=Isaac Joslin |last= Cox| journal=The American Historical Review|volume= 17| number= 2|date= Jan 1912|pages=290–311|publisher= Oxford University Press on behalf of American Historical Association| jstor= 1833000 | doi = 10.1086/ahr/17.2.290}}</ref>
 ==Later life==
-Skipwith was elected to serve in the [[Louisiana State Senate]] where he served as that body's second [[President of the Louisiana State Senate|President]].  In December 1814, during the [[War of 1812]], Magloire Guichard and Skipwith sponsored a [[legislature|legislative resolution]] to grant [[amnesty]] to "the [[privateer]]s lately resorting to [[Barataria Bay|Barataria]], who might be deterred from offering their services for fear of [[prosecution]]." This led to [[Jean Lafitte]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jeanlafitte.net/ | title=jeanlafitte.net/ | accessdate=August 6, 2012}}</ref> and his men joining in the defense of [[New Orleans]] during the [[Battle of New Orleans]], when the city was attacked by [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] forces.
+Skipwith was elected to serve in the [[Louisiana State Senate]] where he served as that body's second [[President of the Louisiana State Senate|President]].  In December 1814, during the [[War of 1812]], Magloire Guichard and Skipwith sponsored a [[legislature|legislative resolution]] to grant [[amnesty]] to "the [[privateer]]s lately resorting to [[Barataria Bay|Barataria]], who might be deterred from offering their services for fear of [[prosecution]]." This led to [[Jean Lafitte]]<ref name="Davis2006">{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=William C. |title=The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf |year=2006 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-547-35075-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zj-3PA6RIWMC&pg=PR12 |page=xii}}</ref> and his men joining in the defense of [[New Orleans]] during the [[Battle of New Orleans]], when the city was attacked by [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] forces.
 In 1827, Skipwith, [[Armand Duplantier]], [[Antoine Blanc]], [[Thomas B. Robertson]], and  Sebastien Hiriart received permission from the [[Louisiana State Legislature]] to organize a [[corporation]] called the [[Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge]].<ref name="auto">[https://books.google.com/books?id=L25GAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22Agricultural+Society+of+Baton+Rouge%22&pg=PA392 A general digest of the acts of the legislature of Louisiana, Vol II] accessed 01 July 2012.</ref>  The purpose of the society was as follows: "The sole and special objects of the said society shall be the improvement of agriculture, the amelioration of the breed of horses, of horned cattle, and others, and in all of the several branches relative to agriculture in a country."<ref name="auto"/>
@@ Line 95: / Line 94: @@
 [[Category:People from St. Francisville, Louisiana]]
 [[Category:Heads of state of former countries]]
-[[Category:West Florida]]
+[[Category:People from West Florida]]
+[[Category:19th-century Louisiana politicians]]

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