Garrard, James, 1749-1822

Kentucky governor, 1796-1804.

James Garrard was born to Col. William and Mary Naughty Garrard in Stafford County, Virginia January 14, 1749. He served as the captain of a schooner in the Revolutionary War, during which time he was also elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He was married to Elizabeth Mountjoy December 20, 1769, and their marriage produced 12 children, 9 of which survived to adulthood. Garrard was an ordained Baptist minster, and was an originator of the Cooper's Run Baptist Church in Bourbon County where he served as minister from 1787 until 1797 under the auspices of the Elkhorn Baptist Association. Later, Garrard ran afoul of the Elkhorn Baptist Association for two main reasons: his adoption of Socianism, an early form of Unitarianism, and his abolitionist beliefs. In 1796, Garrard was elected governor of Kentucky and was the first Kentucky governor to serve two full successive terms and to live in the Governors' Mansion (present Lieutenant Governors' Mansion). After the governorship, Garrard retired from public service and returned to Mt. Lebanon, where he died January 9, 1822, after several years of illness. He is buried in the Garrard family burial grounds in Rudells Mills in Bourbon County, where the Kentucky Legislature erected a memorial in 1823. Garrard County was named for him.

American statesman and governor of Kentucky.