Back جيمس ويلكنسون (ضابط) Arabic James Wilkinson (Politiker, 1757) German James Wilkinson English James Wilkinson Esperanto James Wilkinson Spanish James Wilkinson Finnish James Wilkinson French ג'יימס וילקינסון HE James Wilkinson (politico) Italian 제임스 윌킨슨 Korean
James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was connected with several scandals and controversies.[1]
James Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 6th and 9th Senior Officer of the United States Army | |
| In office June 15, 1800 – January 27, 1812 | |
| President | John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison |
| Preceded by | Alexander Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Henry Dearborn |
| In office December 15, 1796 – July 13, 1798 | |
| President | George Washington John Adams |
| Preceded by | Anthony Wayne |
| Succeeded by | George Washington |
| 1st Governor of Louisiana Territory | |
| In office 1805–1807 | |
| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | William Henry Harrison (as Governor of the District of Louisiana) |
| Succeeded by | Meriwether Lewis |
| United States Envoy to Mexico | |
| In office 1816–1825 | |
| President | James Madison James Monroe John Quincy Adams |
| Preceded by | John H. Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Joel Roberts Poinsett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 24, 1757 Charles County, Province of Maryland |
| Died | December 28, 1825 (aged 68) Mexico City, Mexican Republic |
| Resting place | Iglesia de San Miguel Arcangel, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican[2] |
| Spouse(s) |
Celestine Laveau Trudeau
(m. 1810) |
| Children | 6 |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America Spain |
| Branch/service | Continental Army United States Army |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War War of 1812 |
He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but he was forced twice to quit. He was twice the Senior Officer of the U.S. Army, selected to be the first Governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1805,[3] and commanded two unsuccessful campaigns in the St. Lawrence River theater during the War of 1812. He died while posted as a peacekeeper in Mexico City.
In 1854, following long archival research in the Spanish archives in Madrid, Louisiana historian Charles Gayarré exposed Wilkinson as having been a highly paid spy in the service of the Spanish Empire.[4] In the years since Gayarré's research became public, Wilkinson has been terribly strongly criticized by American historians and politicians. According to President Theodore Roosevelt, "In all our history, there is no more despicable character."[5] However, he has been defended, especially in breaking up the Burr conspiracy.[6]
- ↑ Linklater, Andro (2009). An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson. Walker Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8027-1720-7.
- ↑ Montgomery, M.R. (2000). Jefferson and the Gun-Men: How the West Was Almost Lost. New York, NY: Random House. p. 284. ISBN 978-0-609-80710-1.
- ↑ Bell, William Gardner (2005). "James Wilkinson". Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff: Portraits and Biographical Sketchs. United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 64–65. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
- ↑ "The Man Who Double-Crossed The Founders". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ↑ Stewart, David O. (2011). American Emperor. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 299. ISBN 978-1-4391-5718-3.
- ↑ John Thornton Posey, "Rascality Revisited: In Defense of General James Wilkinson." Filson Club Historical Quarterly 74 (2000): 309-52.