Thomas Posey
| Thomas Posey | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Posey by John Bayless Hill
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State Senator of Kentucky Speaker 1805–1806 |
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In office 1804–1806 |
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| 3rd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
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In office January 1806 – December 1808 |
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| Governor | Christopher Greenup |
| Preceded by | John Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Slaughter |
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United States Senator from Louisiana |
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In office October 8, 1812 – February 4, 1813 |
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| Preceded by | Jean N. Destréhan |
| Succeeded by | James Brown |
| 2nd Governor of Indiana Territory | |
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In office March 3, 1813 – November 7, 1816 |
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| Preceded by |
John Gibson as Acting Territorial Governor |
| Succeeded by |
Jonathan Jennings as Governor |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 9, 1750 Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Died | March 19, 1818 (aged 67) Shawneetown, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Mathews 1772 – 1778 Mary Alexander Thornton 1784 – 1818 |
| Profession | Politician, Soldier |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
Continental Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1775 – 1783 (Continental Army) 1793 – 1794 (US Army) |
| Rank |
Lieutenant Colonel (Continental Army) Brigadier General (USA) |
| Battles/wars | Northwest Indian War |
Thomas Posey (July 9, 1750 – March 19, 1818) was an officer in the American Revolution, a general during peacetime, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.
Thomas Posey was born on the banks of the Potomac River on a farm adjacent to Mt Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia on July 9, 1750. According to his own account, he was "born of respectable parentage." Throughout his life Posey was dogged by rumors that he was the illegitimate son of George Washington. The rumor persisted even after his death and was the subject of several newspaper articles. Most historians are unsure of who his parents truly were as there is little recorded of them. Posey grew up on land adjacent to Washington's Mt. Vernon home, in the home of John Posey. John was a close friend of George Washington, and Thomas benefited from Washington's patronage early in his life. The rumors were dismissed by Posey's biographer, John Thornton Posey.
Posey received a plain English education from the neighborhood school and at 19 he moved to the Virginia frontier near Staunton, Virginia where he intended to engage in a trade or farm. He opened a business producing saddles and married Martha Mathews, daughter of Sampson Mathews of the Mathews family. The couple had three sons, although only one survived to adulthood. Martha died in 1778 while giving birth to the third son. Life on the frontier was tumultuous, and the Indians continual raiding led to a reprisal by the Virginia's Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore. In 1774 Posey was in the quartermaster's department of an armed expedition against the Indians who were threatening the frontier settlements. He was present at the Battle of Point Pleasant, and the expedition succeeded in suppressing the Indians for the short term.
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