Innes, Harry, 1752-1816

Harry Innes was involved, at the time this letter was written, in what is now termed the Spanish Conspiracy. The conspiracy involved Kentucky petitioning to become an independent state and then entering into an alliance with Spain. This would be benificial to Kentucky economically while protecting Spain's valuable colony, Mexico. This alliance plan failed after the defeat of the Jay-Gardoqui Treaty. The treaty would have forbidden United States navigation of the Mississippi River for twenty-five years. Others involved in this failed alliance were James Wilkenson, John Brown, Benjamin Sebastian, and Caleb Wallace. [Kentucky Encyclopedia p.839]

Lawyer, first federal judge for Ky.

Lawyer, and first federal judge for Ky.

Harry Innes was born in Caroline County, Virginia, in 1752. He read law under George Wythe and was admitted to the bar in 1773. Innes migrated to Kentucky in 1783, after being appointed to the newly established supreme court of the Kentucky District. Besides law, Innes was active in land speculation, farming, and politics. He was heavily involved in Kentucky's drive for statehood, served as the first judge of the U.S. Court for the District of Kentucky. He continued to serve as judge until his death in 1816. Several key controversies highlighted Innes's career. This includes Innes's quarrel with Federalist Humphrey Marshall. Marshall believed that Innes participated in the Spanish Conspiracy and Innes believed Marshall was guilty of land fraud. They both tried to impeach the other. This controversy lasted until Innes died.

Virginia legislator; U.S. district judge for Kentucky, 1789-1816.

Lawyer and jurist.

Judge, attorney, politician.

Harry Innes, a native of Virginia, served as attorney-general for that state's western district, Kentucky, and was later appointed a U.S. District judge. He was implicated in the conspiracies linked to General James Wilkinson, which sought to separate Kentucky from the fledgling American republic and ally it with Spain. Congress did not impeach Innes and he pressed libel suits against his accusers.

Biographical note: Harry Innes was born in Caroline County, Virginia in 1752, the son of a Scottish Episcopalian minister. He was educated as a lawyer. At the beginning of the American Revolution in 1776 and 1777, Innes was employed by the committee of public safety in Virginia to manage Chupil's lead mines. The Virginia legislature appointed him a commissioner to hear land claims in the state's Abington district.

He was named a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the District of Kentucky in 1783. Two years later, he became the attorney general for the same district. Innes was appointed United States district judge for Kentucky in 1789. Politically allied with George Nicholas and John Brown, Innes favored a separate arrangement between Spain and Kentucky in respect to the navigation of the Mississippi River. He was accused of participation in the "Spanish Conspiracy" to separate Kentucky from the United States, but Congress refused to impeach him. Innes died in Frankfort in 1816. His daughter, Maria Innes, married John H. Todd. After being widowed, she later married John J. Crittenden.

Lawyer, judge, politician, and land speculator in Virginia and Kentucky.

Innes was active in Kentucky's drive for statehood, served as the first judge of the U.S. Court for the District of Kentucky, and continued to serve as judge until his death in 1816. He maintained a lifelong feud with Federalist Humphrey Marshall, who believed that Innes wanted to see Kentucky as an independent state in order to form an alliance with Spain.

Biographical Note