John Todd (Virginia)
| John Todd | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 27, 1750 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Colony |
| Died | August 19, 1782 (aged 32) near Robertson County, Kentucky, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Politician, military officer |
| Known for | Early pioneer and statesman of Kentucky; co-founder of Lexington, Kentucky |
| Home town | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Hawkins (m. 1780–82) |
| Parent(s) | David Todd, father Hannah Owen, mother |
| Relatives |
Robert Todd, brother Levi Todd, brother |
John Todd (March 27, 1750 – August 19, 1782) was a frontier military officer during the American Revolutionary War and the first administrator of the Illinois County of the U.S. state of Virginia before that state ceded the territory to the federal government.
Todd was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the son of David Todd and the brother of Robert and Levi Todd, the latter being grandfather of Mary Todd Lincoln. He was educated in Virginia at a school run by his uncle, the Rev. John Todd. After obtaining a license to practice law, Todd settled in Fincastle, Virginia.
In 1774, Todd served in the Battle of Point Pleasant, which was fought near present-day Point Pleasant, West Virginia and is celebrated in West Virginia as the first battle in the American Revolutionary War. He was then drawn west into the recently opened frontier of Kentucky where he purchased land near Lexington.
Todd served in the Virginia legislature in 1776 and then participated in the expedition led by George Rogers Clark against Kaskaskia and Vincennes that captured the Illinois Country from the British in 1778. With Clark as commandant of the entire territory north and west of the Ohio river, Todd was appointed as County Lieutenant and Civil Commandant of "Illinois County", which had been organized by the Virginia legislature in 1778 with the government based in Kaskaskia.
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Wikipedia