Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby (
December 11,
1750 â€"
July 18,
1826) was an
American soldier and the first
Governor of
Kentucky, serving from
1792 to
1796 and from
1812 to
1816.
Born in
Frederick County, Maryland near
Hagerstown, he was the son of Evan and Letitia (Cox) Shelby. The family moved to western
Virginia in
1772 and ran a trading post. He was a lieutenant in
Lord Dunmore's War in
1774. The next year he surveyed land in
Kentucky and settled there in
1776. During the
American Revolutionary War,
Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, appointed Shelby to secure provisions for the army on the frontier. He was elected to the Virginia legislature in
1780, and led the Americans to victory at the
Battle of Kings Mountain in
October 7,
1780. Shelby settled in
North Carolina and was elected twice to its legislature. In
1783, he returned to Kentucky where he married Susannah Hart. He was named a trustee of what became
Transylvania University.
When Kentucky became a state, he was elected its first governor. One of his chief concerns was securing Federal aid to defend the frontier. He also worked for free navigation on the
Mississippi River. He retired to his farm in
Lincoln County, Kentucky. In
1812, he once more ran for governor and was victorious. During the
War of 1812 General
William Henry Harrison called upon Kentucky to provide volunteers for his Army of the Northwest. Harrison also personally asked Governor Shelby to lead the Kentucky units. Shelby, known as "Old Kings Mountain" among his troops led the Kentuckians into action at the
battle of the Thames. Upon leaving office in
1816, President
James Monroe offered him the post of
Secretary of War but he declined. He died at his home in Lincoln County.
*
Shelby County, Alabama*
Shelby County, Illinois*
Shelby County, Indiana*
Shelby County, Iowa*
Shelby County, Kentucky*
Shelby County, Missouri*
Shelby, North Carolina*
Shelby County, Ohio*
Shelby County, Tennessee*
Shelby County, Texas*
Detailed Account of Kings Mountain*Sylvia Wrobel and George Grider.
Isaac Shelby: Kentucky's First Governor and Hero of Three Wars.
1974.
