James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816) was an early American statesman. McHenry was a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland and the namesake of Fort McHenry. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from Maryland, and the third United States Secretary of War (1796–1800), under presidents George Washington and John Adams.
Early life and education
McHenry was born into a Scots-Irish family in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland in 1753. He attended a school in Dublin for a classical education. Alarmed that he became ill from excessive studying, his family in 1771 sent him at age 17 to North America to recuperate. He lived with a family friend in Philadelphia and had an older brother in the colonies. In Philadelphia, McHenry studied under Benjamin Rush and became a physician. Upon the death of his father on February 1782, he became financially independent and appears to have entered the mercantile business in partnership with his brother.[1] He married Margaret Allison Caldwell in 1784.
McHenry fancied himself a poet and much of his verse is preserved in letters. Though most of his art is embedded in love letters to his wife, one poem is written specifically to his friend, Alexander Hamilton as a wedding gift in December 1780.[1]
Military career
McHenry was a skilled and dedicated surgeon during the American Revolutionary War. On August 10, 1776 he was appointed surgeon of the Fifth Pennsylvania Battalion stationed at Fort Washington (New York). He was taken prisoner the following November when the fort was taken by Sir William Howe. While there, he witnessed occurrences of very poor medical attention for prisoners and initiated reports to that effect to no avail. He was paroled in January 1777, released from parole in March 1778, and having sufficiently impressed George Washington, was appointed aide as secretary to the commander-in-chief the following May. McHenry was present at the Battle of Monmouth and in August 1780 he was transferred to major-general Lafayette's staff where he remained until he retired from the army in the autumn of 1781.[1][2]
Political office
McHenry was one of three physicians (others were Hugh Williamson and James McClurg) who participated in the Constitutional Convention and created the new Constitution of the United States.[1]
He was elected to the senate of Maryland on September 17, 1781 and elected as delegate to congress by the Maryland legislature on December 2, 1784. After a controversial campaign he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates on October 10, 1788. Two years later he retired from public life and spent a year actively engaged in mercantile business. On November 15, 1791 he accepted a second term in the Maryland senate where he remained for 5 years. During this time, president Washington's second administration cabinet troubles increased with the retirements of Hamilton and General Knox, as well as the vacancy left by Pickering's transfer to the state department. After a few of Washington's preferred cabinet selections declined the position, his friend McHenry's name surfaced.[1]
Washington appointed McHenry Secretary of War in 1796 and immediately assigned him the task of facilitating the transition of Western military posts from Great Britain’s control, one of the terms of the Jay Treaty. McHenry also advised the senate committee against reducing military forces and was instrumental in reorganizing the army into one of four regiments of infantry, a troop of dragoons, and a battery of artillery.[1]
McHenry is credited with establishing the Department of the Navy based on his recommendation that the "War Department should be assisted by a commissioner of marine." on March 8, 1798.[1]
During President John Adams's first administration, he also appointed McHenry Secretary of War, as he had decided to keep the cabinet intact. There was no precedent to follow in the new government. Adams found that three members of the cabinet: McHenry, Timothy Pickering (the Secretary of State), and Oliver Wolcott (the Secretary of the Treasury), became a drag on his administration and programs. They appeared to listen more to Adams's adversary Alexander Hamilton than to the president. The three publicly disagreed with Adams and, instead of resigning, stayed in office working against his official policy. It is unknown if Adams knew they were being disloyal. Although many liked McHenry personally, Washington, Hamilton, and Wolcott were said to have complained of his incompetence as an administrator.[3]
McHenry attributed Adams’ administration troubles to the president’s long and frequent absences from the capitol, leaving business in the hands of secretaries who bore responsibility without the power to properly conduct it.[1]
During the election of 1800, McHenry goaded Alexander Hamilton into releasing his indictment against the President. It questioned Adams's loyalty and patriotism, sparking public quarrels over the major candidates and eventually paving the way for Thomas Jefferson to be the next President.[4] After losing re-election in 1800, Adams replaced McHenry, requiring his resignation. McHenry, Pickering, and Wolcott all resigned. Adams appointed Samuel Dexter as the fourth Secretary of War.
Later Years
In 1792 McHenry purchased a 95 acre tract from Ridgely's Delight and named it Fayetteville in honor of his friend Lafayette where he spent his remaining years. During that time, McHenry continued frequent correspondence with his friends and associates, in particular Timothy Pickering and Benjamin Tallmadge, with whom he maintained Federalist ideals and exchanged progress of the war. In 1814 an attack of paralysis left him with severe pain and complete loss of the use of his legs. He died two years later.[1]
Upon the death of her beloved husband, Mrs. McHenry wrote:
"Here we come to the end of a life of a courteous, high-minded, keen-spirited, Christian gentleman. He was not a great man, but participated in great events and great men loved him, while all men appreciated his goodness and purity of soul. His highest titles to rememberance are that he was faithful to every duty and that he was the intimate and trusted friend of Lafayette, of Hamilton, and of Washington)."[1]
Legacy and honors
- Elected member of the American Philosophical Society in January 1786.[1]
- Elected president of the Bible Society of Baltimore in 1813[1] (later known as the Maryland Bible Society).
- McHenry is memorialized at Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
- Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland was named after him. A battle there during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write what became the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".
- Henry Street in Madison, Wisconsin is named in his honor.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bernard C. Steiner and James McHenry, The life and correspondence of James McHenry (Cleveland: Burrows Brothers Co., 1907).
- ^ Edward G. Lengel, General George Washington: A Military Life (New York: Random House, 2007).
- ^ Lengel, General George Washington
- ^ John Patrick Diggins, John Adams, New York: Times Books, 2003
- ^ "Origins of Madison Street Names". Wisconsin Historical Society. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/archives/002071.asp. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
External links
- James McHenry at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- "James McHenry: Soldier-Statesman of the Constitution", A Bicentennial Series, U.S. Army Center of Military History, National Park Service
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Timothy Pickering |
United States Secretary of War Served under: George Washington, John Adams 1796–1800 |
Succeeded by Samuel Dexter |
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