Isaac Shelby
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| Isaac Shelby | |
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| In office May 17, 1792 – June 1, 1796 |
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| Preceded by | (none) |
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| Succeeded by | James Garrard |
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5th Governor of Kentucky
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| In office August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Scott |
| Succeeded by | George Madison |
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| Born | December 11, 1750 Hagerstown, Maryland |
| Died | July 18, 1826 Lincoln County, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Susannah Hart |
| Religion | Presbyterian[1] |
Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was an American soldier and the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1792 to 1796 and from 1812 to 1816.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Frederick County, Maryland near Hagerstown, Shelby was the son of Evan Shelby and Letitia (Cox) Shelby. The family moved to western Virginia in 1772 and ran a trading post. He was a lieutenant in Lord Dunmore's War in 1774. The next year he surveyed land in Kentucky and settled there in 1776. During the American Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, appointed Shelby to secure provisions for the army on the frontier. He was elected to the Virginia legislature in 1780, and led the Americans to victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in October 7, 1780. Shelby settled in North Carolina and was elected twice to its legislature. In 1783, he returned to Kentucky where he married Susannah Hart. He was on the first Board of Trustees at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
[edit] Political career
When Kentucky became a state, Shelby was elected its first governor. One of his chief concerns was securing Federal aid to defend the frontier. He also worked for free navigation on the Mississippi River. At the time, Kentucky's Constitution prevented a governor from serving consecutive terms, and Shelby retired to his farm in Lincoln County, Kentucky. In 1812, he once more ran for governor and was victorious. During the War of 1812 General William Henry Harrison called upon Kentucky to provide volunteers for his Army of the Northwest. Harrison also personally asked Governor Shelby to lead the Kentucky units. Shelby, known as "Old Kings Mountain" among his troops led the Kentuckians into action at the Battle of the Thames. Upon leaving office in 1816, President James Monroe offered him the post of Secretary of War but he declined. He died at his home of Travelor's Rest in Lincoln County. He founded Frankfort
[edit] Places named for Isaac Shelby
- Shelby County, Alabama
- Shelby County, Illinois
- Shelby County, Indiana
- Shelby County, Iowa
- Shelby County, Kentucky
- Shelby County, Missouri
- Shelby, North Carolina
- Shelby County, Ohio
- Shelby County, Tennessee
- Shelby County, Texas
- Camp Shelby
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Kentucky Governor Isaac Shelby. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- Sylvia Wrobel and George Grider. Isaac Shelby: Kentucky's First Governor and Hero of Three Wars. 1974.
| Preceded by (none) |
Governor of Kentucky 1792–1796 |
Succeeded by James Garrard |
| Preceded by Charles Scott |
Governor of Kentucky 1812–1816 |
Succeeded by George Madison |
| Governors of Kentucky |  |
|---|---|
| Shelby • Garrard • Greenup • Scott • Shelby • Madison • Slaughter • Adair • Desha • Metcalfe • J. Breathitt • J. Morehead • Clark • Wickliffe • Letcher • Owsley • Crittenden • Helm • Powell • C. Morehead • Magoffin • Robinson • Bramlette • Helm • Stevenson • Leslie • McCreary • Blackburn • Knott • Buckner • Brown • Bradley • Taylor • Goebel • Beckham • Willson • McCreary • Stanley • Black • Morrow • Fields • Sampson • Laffoon • Chandler • Johnson • Willis • Clements • Wetherby • Chandler • Combs • E. Breathitt • Nunn • Ford • Carroll • Brown Jr. • Collins • Wilkinson • Jones • Patton • Fletcher
Kentucky also had two Confederate Governors: George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes. |
