Samuel McDowell | |
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| Born | October 29, 1735 Province of Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 25, 1817 (aged 81) Near Danville, Kentucky |
| Allegiance | Thirteen Colonies |
| Service | Virginia militia |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles / wars | French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War, American Revolutionary War |
| Relations | Father of Ephraim McDowell |
Samuel McDowell (October 29, 1735 – September 25, 1817) was a soldier in three wars and political leader in Virginia and Kentucky. He served under George Washington in the French and Indian War, as an aide-de-camp to Isaac Shelby in Lord Dunmore's War, and under Nathanael Greene during the Revolutionary War. He then relocated to Kentucky and became a surveyor. Later, he was appointed one of the first district court judges in what would become the state of Kentucky. He became a leader of the movement to separate Kentucky from Virginia, and presided over nine of the state's ten constitutional conventions. He was the father of Dr. Ephraim McDowell.