Alexander Spotswood | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Charles Bridges, Portrait of Alexander Spottswood, 1736. Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia) | |
| Colonial Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
| In office 23 June 1710 – 27 September 1722 | |
| Monarch | Anne – George I (from 1 August 1714) |
| Preceded by | Robert Hunter |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Drysdale |
| Deputy Postmaster General of North America | |
| In office 1730–1739 | |
| Preceded by | John Lloyd |
| Succeeded by | Head Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 December 1676 English Tangier, Morocco |
| Died | 7 June 1740 (aged 63) Annapolis, Province of Maryland |
| Resting place | Temple Farm, Yorktown (?) |
| Spouse |
Anne Brayne (m. 1724) |
| Signature | .jpg){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1693–1740 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Battles/wars | |
Alexander Spotswood (12 December 1676 – 7 June 1740) was a British Army officer, explorer and lieutenant governor of Colonial Virginia; he is regarded as one of the most significant historical figures in British North American colonial history.
After a brilliant but unsatisfactory military career, in 1710 he was nominated colonial governor of Virginia, a post which he held for twelve years. During that period, Spotswood engaged in the exploration of the territories beyond the western border, of which he was the first to see the economic potentials. In 1716 he organised and led an expedition west of the mountains, known as Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition, with which he established the Crown's dominion over the territory between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley, thus taking a decisive step for the future British expansion to the West.
As the governor of Virginia, Spotswood's first preoccupation was to make sea routes safe and fight against the pirates. After a long effort, the famous pirate Blackbeard was hunted down and killed in 1718. In addition, Spotswood promoted the economic growth of the colony by founding the metallurgical settlements of Germanna; introduced the juridical instrument of habeas corpus; and introduced the rules for the commercial relations with Native Americans and those for the tobacco export trade. His tenure was characterised by a growing conflict with the Virginian political classes, which ended with his removal from office.
Years later, between 1730 and 1739, Spotswood was Postmaster General for British America and, with his young friend Benjamin Franklin, extended the postal service network north of Williamsburg and improved its efficiency.
At the outbreak of the War of Jenkins' Ear, Spotswood was called back into army service. Promoted to major general, he was put in command of the colonial troops stationed in America with the task of preparing a military action against the Spanish stronghold of Cartagena de Indias, but, in Annapolis, where he was to consult with the local governors, he died suddenly in 1740.