Maury, James, 1746-1840

James F. Maury (1746-1840), merchant at Fredericksburg, Virginia, before and during the American Revolution, engaged in the tobacco trade between Liverpool, England, and the U.S. after the Revolution. He served as the first American consul at Liverpool.

James Maury (3 Feb 1746 – 23 Feb 1840) was one of the first United States diplomats and one of the first American consuls appointed overseas. In 1790 he was appointed to the Consulate of the United States in Liverpool; born in February 1746 in Albemarle County, Virginia.[3] He was the son of The Reverend James Maury (1719–1769); The Reverend Maury's notable pupils were Thomas Jefferson; Maury frequently accompanied Jefferson ; Secretary of State Jefferson petitioned the then United States President George Washington for an appointment for his former classmate of two years. The petition was successful, and Maury, who was already living and working as a merchant in Liverpool, was appointed consul of the United States at Liverpool in 1790; In 1801 Maury chaired the inaugural meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Liverpool; Maury held the position of consul for 39 years under six U.S. presidents, until 1829, when he was removed from office by President Andrew Jackson; Maury was married twice, firstly to Catherine Armistead, and secondly to Margaret Rutson. He and Rutson had five children: James Sifrein Maury (1797–1864); William Maury (1799–1849); Matthew Maury (1800–1877); Ann Maury (1803–1876); Rutson Maury (1805–1882).[6] Ann Maury conducted considerable research on her family history and published a substantial genealogical chart of the Maury family, which can be still be obtained from The Fontaine Maury Society library; James Maury died on 23 February 1840 in New York City