Shelby, Isaac, 1750-1826

Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor, was born in Maryland in 1750. As a young man, he served in Lord Dunmore's War and the Revolutionary War, from which he emerge as one of the heroes of the Battle of King's Mountain, South Carolina. Following the war, he and his bride, Susannah Hart, moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky, where he quickly became a leader in Kentucky politics. He was chosen as Kentucky's first governor, serving from 1792-1796. Just before the War of 1812, Shelby was persuaded by the public to run for governor again. He defeated Gabriel Slaughter and served as governor from 1812-1816. During the War of 1812, Shelby took steps to defend the state and raised troops for Gen. William Henry Harrison's Northwestern Army, even joining them for the Battle of the Thames on Oct. 15, 1813. After his second term as governor, he and Andrew Jackson negotiated with the Chickasaw Indians in 1818 to purchase for Kentucky the area west of the Tennessee River that became known as the Jackson Purchase. Shelby died at his farm, Travelers Rest, south of Danville, Kentucky, in 1826.

From the description of Isaac Shelby papers, 1795-1922 1795-1826. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 39100101

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