Arthur St. Clair
Major General Arthur St. Clair (March 23, 1737 [O.S. 1736] – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During the American Revolutionary War, he rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army, but lost his command after a controversial retreat from Fort Ticonderoga.
Arthur St. Clair | |
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Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1783 | |
| 1st Governor of the Northwest Territory | |
| In office July 15, 1788 – November 22, 1802 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Charles Willing Byrd |
| 4th Senior Officer of the United States Army | |
| In office March 4, 1791 – March 5, 1792 | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | Josiah Harmar |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Wayne |
| 7th President of the Confederation Congress | |
| In office February 2, 1787 – November 4, 1787 | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Gorham |
| Succeeded by | Cyrus Griffin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 23, 1737 Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, Great Britain |
| Died | August 31, 1818 (aged 81) Greensburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Clair Park, Greensburg |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
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After the war, he served as President of the Continental Congress, which during his term passed the Northwest Ordinance. He was then made governor of the Northwest Territory in 1788, and then the portion that would become Ohio in 1800. In 1791, St. Clair commanded the American forces in what was the United States' worst-ever defeat by the Native Americans, which became known as St. Clair's defeat. Politically out-of-step with the Jefferson administration, he was replaced as governor in 1802.