- 1792: Veteran of Northwest Indian War
- 1793-1795: Member Kentucky House of Representatives
- 1802-1803: 4th Speaker of Kentucky House of Representatives
- 1805-1806: U.S. Senator from Kentucky
- 1813: Veteran of Invasion of Canada (War of 1812)
- 1815: Veteran of Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)
- 1820-1824: 8th Governor of Kentucky
- 1831-1833: US Representative - Kentucky 7th District
Biography
Gov. John Adair was born 9 January 1757 in Chester County, South Carolina, United States to William Adair (c1718-1812) and Mary Moore (1729-1797) and died 10 May 1840 Mercer County, Kentucky, United States of unspecified causes. He married Catherine Palmer (1768-1854) 9 September 1784 in Sumter County, South Carolina.
John Adair as 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 America 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.
Adair was a slaveowner and slave trader.[1][2]
Early Life
John Adair was born January 9, 1757, in Chester County in the Province of South Carolina, a son of Scottish immigrants Baron William and Mary [Moore] Adair.[3][4] He was educated at schools in Charlotte, North Carolina
Revolutionary War
He enlisted in the South Carolina colonial militia at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.[5] He was assigned to the regiment of his friend, Edward Lacey, under the command of Colonel Thomas Sumter and participated in the failed Colonial assault on a loyalist outpost at the Battle of Rocky Mount and the subsequent Colonial victory at the Battle of Hanging Rock.[6][7] During the British victory over the Colonists at the August 16, 1780, Battle of Camden, Adair was taken as a prisoner of war.[8]
He contracted smallpox and was treated harshly by his captors during his months-long imprisonment.[8] Although he escaped at one point, Adair was unable to reach safety because of difficulties related to his smallpox infection and was recaptured by British Colonel Banastre Tarleton after just three days.[6] Subsequently, he was released via a prisoner exchange.[6] In 1781, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the South Carolina militia, and fought in the drawn Battle of Eutaw Springs, the war's last major battle in the Carolinas.[6] Edward Lacey was elected sheriff of Chester County after the war, and Adair replaced him in his former capacity as the county's justice of the peace.[7] He was chosen as a delegate to the South Carolina convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution.[5]
Kentucky Migrant
After moving to Kentucky in 1786, Adair participated in the Northwest Indian War, including a skirmish with the Miami Chief Little Turtle near Fort St. Clair in 1792. Popular for his service in two wars, he entered politics in 1792 as a delegate to Kentucky's constitutional convention. Adair was elected to a total of eight terms in the state House of Representatives between 1793 and 1803. He served as Speaker of the Kentucky House in 1802 and 1803, and was a delegate to the state's Second Constitutional Convention in 1799. He ascended to the United States Senate to fill the seat vacated when John Breckinridge resigned to become Attorney General of the United States in the Cabinet of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), but failed to win a full term in the subsequent election due to his implication in a treason conspiracy involving Vice President Aaron Burr. After a long legal battle, he was acquitted of any wrongdoing; and his accuser, General James Wilkinson, was ordered to issue an apology. The negative publicity kept him out of politics for more than a decade.
Adair's participation in the War of 1812, and a subsequent protracted defense of Kentucky's soldiers against General Andrew Jackson's charges that they showed cowardice at the Battle of New Orleans, restored his reputation. He returned to the State House in 1817, and Isaac Shelby, his commanding officer in the War who was serving a second term as governor, appointed him adjutant general of the state militia. In 1820, Adair was elected eighth governor on a platform of financial relief for Kentuckians hit hard by the Panic of 1819, and the ensuing economic recession. His primary effort toward this end was the creation of the Bank of the Commonwealth, but many of his other financial reforms were deemed unconstitutional by the Kentucky Court of Appeals, touching off the Old Court–New Court controversy. Following his term as governor, Adair served one undistinguished term in the United States House of Representatives and did not run for re-election.
Death
He died at home in Harrodsburg on May 19, 1840, and was buried on the grounds of his estate, White Hall.[9] In 1872, his remains were moved to the Frankfort Cemetery, by the state capitol, and the Commonwealth erected a marker over his grave there.[10] His home "White Hall" burned a few years after his death.
Marriage & Family
In 1784, Adair married Catherine Palmer (1768-1854). They had twelve children, ten of them daughters. One married Thomas Bell Monroe, who later served as Adair's Secretary of State and was appointed to a federal judgeship. In 1786, the Adairs migrated westward to Kentucky, settling in Mercer County.
- Ellen Adair (1785-) - ???
- Anna Catherine Palmer Adair (1786-1853) - md John Bridges, a Judge
- Mary Moore Adair (1788-1813)
- Nannie Adair (1789-)
- Eliza Palmer Adair (1790-1871) - md Thomas Bell Monroe, appointed Kentucky Secretary of State by Gov. Adair. US Federal Judge from 1834 to 1861. Confederate Congressman.
- Sallie Adair (1791-)
- Catherine Palmer Adair (1792-1820)
- Margaret Lapsley Adair (1794-1875)
- Belle Adair (1795-)
- Sarah Adair (1797-1854)
- Isabella McCalla Adair (1799-1869)
- Eleanor Adair (1801-1884)
- Henrietta P Adair (1803-1833)
- William Henry Palmer Adair (1806-1859)
- John Adair (1808-1888) - graduated from Harvard Law School, traveled the Oregon Trail to serve as Customs Collector of the Port Astoria for 12 years.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ellen Adair (1785-) | |||
| Anna Catherine Palmer Adair (1786-1853) | 8 April 1786 Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States | 1853 United States | John Ligon Bridges (1778-1859) |
| Mary Moore Adair (1788-1813) | |||
| Nannie Adair (1789-) | |||
| Eliza Palmer Adair (1790-1871) | |||
| Sallie Adair (1791-) | |||
| Catherine Palmer Adair (1792-1820) | |||
| Margaret Lapsley Adair (1794-1875) | |||
| Belle Adair (1795-) | |||
| Sarah Adair (1797-1854) | |||
| Isabella McCalla Adair (1799-1869) | |||
| Eleanor Adair (1801-1884) | |||
| Henrietta P Adair (1803-1833) | |||
| William Henry Palmer Adair (1806-1859) | |||
| John Adair (1808-1888) | 8 August 1808 Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky, United States | 9 April 1888 Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon, United States | Mary Ann Cockburn Dickerson (1816-1893) |
Siblings
Residences
Ancestry
The Adair family is one of the oldest in Ireland. The Adare Castle sits on the Shannon River still today. His grandfather, Thomas Adair (c1680-c1740) and father William Adair (c1718-1812) immigrated to America in the early 1730s. One uncle, James Adair (1714-1796), became a noted indian trader and historian.
- See Also : Adair Family.
Legacy and Namesake
The following places have been named in his honor:[11][12]
- Adair County, Kentucky
- Adair County, Missouri,
- Adair County, Iowa,
- town of Adairville, Kentucky
- town of Adair, Iowa,
Vital Records
Frankfort Gravestone
- Location: Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky,
- Inscription:
Born in Chester District S.C. Jan 9, 1757; Died at White Hall, Mercer Co., KY May 1840 aged 83 years. This monument is erected by the people of KY in pursuance of a Resolution of the General Assembly, approved Mar 5, 1872, as a mark of their appreciation of his services as a Soldier and a Statesman.
His parents, William and Mary are buried on their son Gov John Adair's estate in Mercer Co, KY named "Whitehall".
Research Notes
References
- ^ Bogert, Pen (2002). "Sold for My Account: The Early Slave Trade Between Kentucky and the Lower Mississippi Valley". Ohio Valley History 2 (1): 3–16. ISSN 2377-0600.
- ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-13, https://github.com/washingtonpost/data-congress-slaveowners, retrieved 2022-01-14
- ^ Harrison in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, p. 1
- ^ Smith, p. 168
- ^ a b "Adair, John". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ a b c d Fredricksen, p. 2
- ^ a b Scoggins, p. 150
- ^ a b Hall, p. 1
- ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedpowell26 - ^ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddab - ^ Gannett, p. 16
- ^ Euntaek, "Jesse James"
See Also
- wikipedia:en:John Adair - Wikipedia
- Gov John Adair at Find A Grave #6864701
- John Adair - disambiguation
- James Adair in the Ninety-Six District - Research Notes for this family
- Adair Family
- Adair in Chester County, South Carolina
- Adair in Mercer County, Kentucky
- Adair in Adair County, Kentucky
- Adair in Adair County, Missouri
- Adair in Adair County, Iowa