James McHenry

James McHenry
3rd United States Secretary of War
In office January 27, 1796 – May 13, 1800
President	George Washington (1796-1797) John Adams (1797-1800)
Preceded by	Timothy Pickering
Succeeded by	Samuel Dexter
Born	November 16, 1753 Ballymena, Ulster, Ireland
Died	May 3, 1816 Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	[federalist]
Spouse(s)	[Peggy Caldwell]
Profession	[Doctor but then gave it up for politics]
Military service
Service/branch	Continental Army
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War

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, the bombardment of which inspired the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". He was also a delegate to the Continental Congress from Maryland, and the third United States Secretary of War from January 27, 1796 to May 13, 1800, under Presidents George Washington and John Adams.

Early life

McHenry was born into a Scots-Irish family in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland in 1753. He attended classical education at Dublin, where he made himself sick studying to much. In 1771 his family sent him at 17 to america to recuperate were he lived with a backer in philadelphia. was also a writer of poetry. McHenry immigrated to Philadelphia in 1771 where he became a physician, learning under Benjamin Rush. He also ran a Baltimore import-export business with his brother.

Military career

As a skilled and dedicated surgeon during the Revolutionary War, he impressed George Washington, who made him an aide shortly before the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. He served bravely and loyally under Washington for two years and retired from the army in 1781.^[1]

Political Office

Grave of James McHenry at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore

McHenry was one of three physicians (with Hugh Williamson and James McClurg) involved in crafting the constitution.^[2]

Perhaps his most significant role as Secretary of War came under John Adams. Upon taking over office, Adams decided to keep the cabinet intact, since there was no precedent to follow. Three members of the cabinet—McHenry, Timothy Pickering (the Secretary of State) and Oliver Wolcott (the Secretary of the Treasury)—became a drag on the Adams administration as they listened to Adams's adversary Alexander Hamilton, more than Adams himself. The three publicly disagreed with Adams and, instead of resigning, stayed in office working against the official policy. It is unknown if Adams knew they were being disloyal.^[3]

During the election of 1800, McHenry goaded Hamilton into releasing his indictment against the President, which 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]

Finally in 1800, Adams replaced McHenry, though not on the grounds of incompetence, as McHenry resigned, as well as Pickering and Wolcott. Samuel Dexter became the 4th Secretary of War.

Although many liked McHenry personally, it was no secret Washington, Hamilton and Wolcott often complained of his incompetence as an administrator.^[5]

External links

• James McHenry at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• U.S. Army Center of Military History, James McHenry: Soldier-Statesman of the Constitution: A Bicentennial Series, 1987 (CMH Pub 714) in official website of the U.S. National Park Service Accessed April 16, 2009.

References

v • d • e Signers of the United States Constitution Baldwin · Bassett · Bedford · Blair · Blount · Brearley · Broom · Butler · Carroll · Clymer · Dayton · Dickinson · Few · Fitzsimons · Franklin · Gilman · Gorham · Hamilton · Ingersoll · Jackson  · Jenifer · Johnson · King · Langdon · Livingston · Madison · McHenry · Mifflin · G. Morris · R. Morris · Paterson · C. C. Pinckney · Pinckney · Read · Rutledge · Sherman · Spaight · Washington · Williamson · Wilson

v • d • e United States Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army Cabinet-level Knox • Pickering • McHenry • Dexter • Dearborn • Eustis • Armstrong • Monroe • W. H. Crawford • Calhoun • Barbour • P. B. Porter • Eaton • Cass • Poinsett • Bell • Spencer • J. M. Porter • Wilkins • Marcy • G. W. Crawford • Conrad • J. Davis • Floyd • Holt • S. Cameron • Stanton • Schofield • Rawlins • Belknap • A. Taft • J. Cameron • McCrary • Ramsey • Lincoln • Endicott • Proctor • Elkins • Lamont • Alger • Root • W. H. Taft • Wright • Dickinson • Stimson • Garrison • Baker • Weeks • D. F. Davis • Good • Hurley • Dern • Woodring • Stimson • Patterson • Royall Dept. of Defense Royall • Gray • Pace • Stevens • Brucker • Stahr • Vance • Ailes • Resor • Froehlke • Callaway • Hoffmann • Alexander • Marsh • Stone • West • Walker • Caldera • Dahlberg • Westphal • White • Brownlee • Harvey • Geren • McHugh

v • d • e Cabinet of President George Washington (1789–1797) Vice President John Adams (1789–1797) Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay (1789) Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (1790–1793) · Edmund Randolph (1794–1795) · Timothy Pickering (1795–1797) Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1789–1795) · Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1795–1797) Secretary of War Henry Knox (1789–1794) · Timothy Pickering (1795) · James McHenry (1796–1797) Attorney General Edmund Randolph (1792–1794) · William Bradford (1794–1795) · Charles Lee (1795–1797) Postmaster General Samuel Osgood (1789–1791) · Timothy Pickering (1791–1795) · Joseph Habersham (1795–1797)

v • d • e Cabinet of President John Adams (1797-1801) Vice President Thomas Jefferson (1797-1801) Secretary of State Timothy Pickering (1797-1800) • John Marshall (1800-1801) Secretary of the Treasury Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1797-1801) • Samuel Dexter (1801) Secretary of War James McHenry (1796-1800) • Samuel Dexter (1800-1801) Attorney General Charles Lee (1797-1801) Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert (1798-1801)