John Simpson | |
---|---|
7th Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
In office December 3, 1810 –December, 1812 | |
Governor | Charles Scott |
Preceded by | William Logan |
Succeeded by | Joseph H. Hawkins |
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
In office 1806–1811 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Virginia |
Died | River Raisin, Michigan | January 22, 1813
Resting place | Frankfort Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) [1] |
Occupation | Attorney |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | US Army |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | 1st Regiment of Riflemen |
Battles/wars | Northwest Indian War Battle of Fallen Timbers War of 1812 Battle of River Raisin |
John Simpson (died January 22, 1813) [2] was a United States Army officer, attorney, and politician. Simpson saw military action in both the Northwest Indian War and the War of 1812. He also served 4 terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives including 2 years as the House's Speaker. In 1812 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives but died before he could take office.
Simpson was born in Virginia and moved to Kentucky with his family as a child during the 1780s. [3] They settled in Lincoln County [4] and Simpson would attend school in first Danville and then Bardstown. [5]
During the war Simpson volunteered for the Legion of the United States under the command of Gen. Anthony Wayne. He participated in the final skirmish of war; the Battle of Fallen Timbers [6] but did not see battle as he stayed behind to guard supplies. [3]
After the war Simpson moved to Shelby County, Kentucky where he would study law and become a one of Shelby County's first attorneys. [7] He went on to be elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives representing Shelby County. He was elected to 4 consecutive terms from 1806 to 1811. [6] He was elected Speaker of the House from 1810 to 1811; defeating Samuel South and William MacMillan. [8]
In 1812 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the newly created 8th District of Kentucky. Although the 8th district had just been formed he defeated incumbent Stephen Ormsby who had been redistricted from the 3rd. He defeated Ormsby by a 'small margin'. [9] Before taking his seat the War of 1812 broke out and Simpson rejoined the army. Ormsby would later win a special election to be his replacement. [10]
During the War of 1812 Simpson once again volunteered for service. On August 15, 1812 [1] he joined the First Rifle Regiment using his political clout to become the regiment's Captain. [5] Under the command of Col. John Allen his regiment helped reinforce Gen. Hull in Detroit. [4] He participated in the Battle of River Raisin on January 22, 1813. He joined the battle during a British counterattack while the regular soldiers where retreating to the river. He was killed early into the retreat. [1] In September 1834 human remains believed to be his were exhumed and returned to Kentucky. However, they have never been positively identified. He is also believed to have been reburied in the Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky but the exact location is unknown. [3]
John Simpson is the namesake of both Simpsonville, Kentucky and Simpson County, Kentucky. [5] Fourth street of Shelbyville, Kentucky was also once named Simpson street in his honor. [11]
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,074. The county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelby County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Shelbyville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,045 at the 2010 census.
Simpsonville is a home rule-class city in Shelby County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is located 8 miles west of Shelbyville, Kentucky and 23 miles east of Louisville situated along U.S. 60. The population was 2,484 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
William Orlando Butler was a U.S. political figure and U.S. Army major general from Kentucky. He served as a Democratic congressman from Kentucky from 1839 to 1843, and was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee under Lewis Cass in 1848.
John Allen was a United States politician and army officer who was killed in the War of 1812.
Solomon Porcius Sharp was an American attorney and politician, serving as attorney general of Kentucky and a member of the United States Congress and the Kentucky General Assembly. His murder by Jereboam O. Beauchamp in 1825 is referred to as the Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy or "The Kentucky Tragedy."
John Adair was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician. He was the eighth Governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the U.S. House and Senate. A native of South Carolina, Adair enlisted in the state militia and served in the Revolutionary War, during which he was twice captured and held as a prisoner of war by the British. Following the War, he was elected as a delegate to South Carolina's convention to ratify the United States Constitution.
George Madison was the sixth Governor of Kentucky. He was the first governor of Kentucky to die in office, serving only a few weeks in 1816. Little is known of Madison's early life. He was a member of the influential Madison family of Virginia, and was a second cousin to President James Madison. He served with distinction in three wars – the Revolutionary War, Northwest Indian War, and War of 1812. He was twice wounded in the Northwest Indian War, and in the War of 1812 he was taken prisoner following the Battle of Frenchtown in Michigan.
Bland Ballard was a soldier and statesman from Kentucky.
William Logan was a United States Senator from Kentucky.
Martin D. Hardin was a politician and lawyer from Kentucky. Born in Pennsylvania, his family immigrated to Kentucky when he was still young. He studied law under George Nicholas and commenced practice at Richmond, Kentucky. His cousin, future U.S. Representative Benjamin Hardin, studied in his law office. He represented Madison County in the Kentucky House of Representatives for a single term.
Robert Carter Nicholas was a United States Senator from Louisiana. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and also served as Secretary of State of Louisiana and Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.
The Frankfort Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the supposed burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors and a Vice President of the United States.
Alney McLean was a United States Representative from Kentucky. McLean County, Kentucky, is named in his honor.
Colonel Charles Stewart Todd was an American military officer and government official.
Paschal Hickman was an American military officer who was killed in the Massacre of the River Raisin, an important event in the War of 1812. Hickman County, Kentucky is named for him.
During the War of 1812, Kentucky supplied numerous troops and supplies to the war effort. Because Kentucky did not have to commit manpower to defending fortifications, most Kentucky troops campaigned actively against the enemy. This led to Kentucky seeing more battle casualties than all other states combined.
Nathaniel Gray Smith Hart was a Lexington, Kentucky lawyer and businessman, who served with the state's volunteer militia during the War of 1812. As Captain of the Lexington Light Infantry from Kentucky, Hart and many of his men were killed in the River Raisin Massacre of January 23, 1813, after being taken prisoner the day before following the Battle of Frenchtown in Michigan Territory.
Benjamin Franklin Graves (1771–1813) was a politician and military leader in early 19th-century Kentucky. During the War of 1812, Graves served as a major in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Kentucky Volunteer regiment. Together with other officers, he commanded Kentucky troops in the Battle of Frenchtown on January 22, 1813, in Michigan Territory. This was part of an effort by Americans to take the British-controlled fort at Detroit, Fort Shelby. This battle had the highest number of American fatalities in the war: of 1,000 American troops, nearly 400 were killed in the conflict, and 547 were taken prisoner. The next day an estimated 30-100 Americans were killed by Native Americans after having surrendered.
Anthony Butler (1787–1849) was an American soldier, politician and diplomat who served as Chargé d'Affaires to Mexico.