Duncan McArthur | |
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| 11th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office December 18, 1830 – December 7, 1832 | |
| Preceded by | Allen Trimble |
| Succeeded by | Robert Lucas |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | |
| Preceded by | John Sloane |
| Succeeded by | John Thomson |
| Member of theOhio Senate fromRoss,Franklin andHighland counties | |
| In office 1805–1813 1821–1823 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham Claypool Joseph Kerr |
| Succeeded by | William Creighton, Sr. James Dunlap (1805–1813) David Crouse (1821–1823) |
| 12thSpeaker of the Ohio House of Representatives | |
| In office December 1, 1817 – December 6, 1818 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kirker |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Richardson |
| Member of theOhio House of Representatives fromRoss andFranklin counties | |
| In office 1804–1805 1815–1816 1817–1818 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1772-01-14)January 14, 1772 or(1772-06-14)June 14, 1772 |
| Died | (aged 66–67) Chillicothe,Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Grandview Cemetery |
| Party | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1812–1815 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | Army of the Northwest |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812
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Duncan McArthur (1772 – April 29, 1839) was a military officer and aFederalist andNational Republican politician fromOhio. He served as the 11thgovernor of Ohio.
When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the state militia during theWar of 1812. He was later appointed asbrigadier general in theU.S. Army. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of theArmy of the Northwest, serving through 1817 and negotiating theTreaty of Fort Meigs of 1817 to ratify peace and land cessions with Native American tribes.
Sources vary as to McArthur's exact birthdate. It has been given as January 14, 1772,[1][2] or June 14, 1772.[3][4] He was born to Scottish immigrants inDutchess County in theProvince of New York,[5] McArthur grew up in westernPennsylvania and later moved toKentucky, where he was employed as an Indian ranger.[6]
McArthur and his friendAlexander McGuffey volunteered in 1790 at Fort Pitt for expeditions against Native Americans during theNorthwest Indian War,[7] serving as a scout under GeneralsJosiah Harmar andAnthony Wayne.[8] McArthur obtained a position withNathaniel Massie in 1793, and worked with Massie on a surveying expedition in the Northwest Territory. In 1796, he worked with Massie to lay out the new town ofChillicothe, Ohio,[6] which was to become the state capital in 1803. McArthur moved across theOhio River in 1797 to Chillicothe, where he gained wealth by his land speculations in the Northwest Territory.
McArthur was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives fromOhio's 3rd congressional district while serving in the statemilitia during theWar of 1812. He never qualified for office as he preferred to continue serving in the military.
He was appointed colonel of Ohio volunteers and was second-in-command to GeneralWilliam Hull atFort Detroit. He and ColonelLewis Cass were not present at Detroit when Hull surrendered and were greatly angered to hear that Hull had included both of them in the capitulation. When a British officer notified him of the surrender, McArthur is said to have torn off his epaulettes and broke his sword in a fit of rage, although historians note similar stories were told about other officers as well.[9] The British paroled him and McArthur returned to Ohio.
He was appointed abrigadier general in theU.S. Army. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of theArmy of the Northwest following Harrison's resignation.[10]
McArthur did not face much action after that, but he was engaged in negotiating treaties with the Indians. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners (along withLewis Cass) who negotiated theTreaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with severalNative American tribes.
McArthur did not face much action any further, but he was engaged in negotiating treaties with the Indians. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners (along withLewis Cass) who negotiated theTreaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with severalNative American tribes.
McArthur served intermittently thereafter in theOhio House of Representatives andOhio State Senate. He was elected and served a single term from 1823 to 1825 in theUnited States House of Representatives before winning election to the governorship in 1830. McArthur served a single term and did not seek re-election.
McArthur was buried inGrandview Cemetery, Chillicothe,Ross County, Ohio, US.[11] The trust established in his will later became the subject of litigation that went before the U.S. Supreme Court inMcArthur v. Scott.
The small village ofMcArthur, Ohio, the seat ofVinton County, is named for him.
McArthur founded the city ofGreenfield, Ohio in 1799. Greenfield is located at N39 21.11958 W83 22.96284 (GPS coordinates), about 21 miles due west of Chillicothe. State Route 28, which runs between Greenfield and Chillicothe, in 1973 was named as General Duncan McArthur Highway per act of the 113th Ohio General Assembly.
The execution of McArthur's will resulted in aUnited States Supreme Court case,McArthur v. Scott (1885). The will bequeathed a future interest to his unborn grandchildren, but that stipulation was set aside. Later, those grandchildren contested the will's execution. The Supreme Court held that the decree setting aside their interest was not binding on them because their virtual representative at the hearing was antagonistic to their interest.
"McArthur, Duncan" .Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
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