Robert Dinwiddie
Robert Dinwiddie | |
---|---|
Lieutenant governor of Virginia | |
In office 1751–1758 | |
Monarch | George II |
Preceded by | Lewis Burwell |
Succeeded by | Francis Fauquier |
Personal details | |
Born | 1692 Glasgow, Scotland |
Died | 27 July 1770 (aged 77–78) Clifton, Bristol |
Occupation | Colonial administrator |
Signature | |
Robert Dinwiddie (1692 – 27 July 1770) was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. Since the governors of Virginia remained in Europe, he served as the de facto head of the colony of Virginia. Dinwiddie is credited for starting the military career of George Washington.[1]
Early life
Dinwiddie was born at
He matriculated at the university in 1707 before starting work as a merchant. Joining the British colonial service in 1727, Dinwiddie was appointed collector of the customs for Bermuda. Following an appointment as surveyor general of customs in southern American ports, Dinwiddie became Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and featured as such in
French and Indian War
Dinwiddie's actions as lieutenant governor are cited by one historian as precipitating the
In 1753, Dinwiddie learned the French had built Fort Presque Isle near Lake Erie and Fort Le Boeuf, which he saw as threatening Virginia's interests in the Ohio Valley. In fact, he considered Winchester, Virginia, to be "Exposed to the enemy"; Cumberland, Maryland, was only to be fortified the next year.[6]
Dinwiddie sent an eight-man expedition under George Washington to warn the French to withdraw. Washington, then only 21 years old, made the journey in midwinter of 1753–54. Washington arrived at Fort Le Boeuf on 11 December 1753. Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, commandant at Fort Le Boeuf, a tough veteran of the west, received Washington politely, but rejected his ultimatum.[7]
Jacques Saint-Pierre gave Washington three days hospitality at the fort, and then gave Washington a letter for him to deliver to Dinwiddie. The letter conveyed to Dinwiddie that he would send Dinwiddie's on to
In January 1754, even before learning of the French refusal to decamp, Dinwiddie sent a small force of Virginia militia to build a fort at the forks of the
Dinwiddie named Joshua Fry to the position of Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces. Fry was given command of the Virginia Regiment and was ordered to take Fort Duquesne, then held by the French. During the advance into the Ohio Country, Fry suddenly fell off his horse and died from his injuries on 31 May 1754 at Fort Cumberland, upon which the command of the regiment fell to Washington.
In early spring 1754, Dinwiddie sent Washington to build a road to the Monongahela. After having attacked the French at the
The Invas'n and wicked designs of the Fr. on the River Ohio has given me a Continual Uneasiness, w'ch was increased by the supine and unaccountable Obstinacy of the Assemblies of the different Colonies on this Cont't, y't tho' they were convinced of the Progress they had made, and the threat'g Speeches they gave out, they c'd not be roused from their lethargic Indolence, to grant suitable Supplies for conducting an Expedit'n so necessary for their own Safety.
Braddock met his end at the
Legacy
Dinwiddie County, Virginia, which lies 30 miles south of Richmond, is named in honor of Robert Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie Hall, since 1972 a dormitory at the College of William & Mary, is also named in honor of Robert Dinwiddie.[11]
Dinwiddie retained his links with his alma mater throughout his life: in 1754 he was conferred an honorary degree by the University of Glasgow; and upon his death in 1770 he gave the University of Glasgow Library £100 for the procurement of books.[4]
Robert Dinwiddie died on 27 July 1770. He is buried in Clifton Parish Church with a monument created by William Tyler RA.[12]
He married some time before 1738 Rebecca Auchinleck[13] (or Afflick); together they had two children Rebecca Dinwiddie and Elizabeth Dinwiddie.[2]
His official records, which were compiled by the Virginia Historical Society in 1883, are left in five volumes. They cover the years of his administration of the Virginia colony, from 1751 to 1758.[14] His archival material resides at several places,[15] and some related to the French and Indian War is visible to web browsers.[16] He was the subject of the book Robert Dinwiddie: Servant of the Crown.[13]
Notes
- ^ Schrock, Randall. "Robert Dinwiddie (1692–1770)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Robert Dinwiddie of Airdrie". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie: The Fuzzy Line between American and English Bookplates". 29 January 2011.
- ^ a b "The University of Glasgow's International Story Blog – Earliest Bermuda link features in The Virginians", 25 April 2014
- ^ Anderson, F.: "Crucible of War", p. 37. Vintage Books, 2000.
- ^ wvculture.org: " Instructions for George Washington", n.d. extracted from The Writings of George Washington, Volume II, by Jared Sparks (Boston: Charles Tappan, 1846), pp. 184–186.
- ^ France in America, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, p. 181.
- ^ Parkman, p. 67.
- ^ Nos racines, l'histoire vivante des Québécois, Éditions Comémorative, Livre-Loisir Ltée, p. 457.
- ^ wvculture.org: "Governor Robert Dinwiddie to the Earl of Halifax, October 25, 1754", extracted from The Official Records of Robert Dinwiddie, Volume I, R. A. Brock, editor (Richmond: Virginia Historical Society, 1883), pp. 366–369.
- ^ "William & Mary-Botetourt Complex". wm.edu. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.404
- ^ a b John Richard Alden: Robert Dinwiddie: Servant of the Crown (Colonial Williamsburg: January 1973, 126pp)
- ^ "The official records of Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant-governor of the Colony of Virginia, 1751-1758". Internet Archive. 1883. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Dinwiddie, Robert (1693-1770) Governor of Virginia". nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "French and Indian War Documents". wvculture.org. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dinwiddie, Robert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 278. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Anderson, Fred (2001). Crucible of war: the Seven Years' War and the fate of empire in British North America, 1754-1766. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-375-70636-4.