Thomas Posey

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Thomas Posey (July 9, 1750-March 29, 1818) was a military and political figure in the decades following the American Revolution. Born in Fairfax County, Virginia, he was a member of the Virginia committee of correspondence, and served as an officer during the Revolutionary War. Serving in the U.S. Army after the revolution, he rose to the rank of brigadier general in 1793. In 1794 he moved to Kentucky, where he would serve as a state Senator, and later as the lieutenant governor.

He moved to Louisiana, and served as a U.S. Senator from that state in 1812-1813.

After he was defeated for re-election, he was appointed Governor of Indiana Territory. As he hated the current territorial capital, Corydon, he lived in Jeffersonville during his tenure, as it was close to his personal physician in Louisville, Kentucky. When Indiana became a state in 1816, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor. In the last two years of his life, he served as an Indian agent in Illinois.

Posey was dogged by rumors that he was the illegitimate son of George Washington. Posey grew up on land adjacent to Mt. Vernon, the Posey and Washington families were close, and Posey benefited from Washington's patronage early in his career. However, the rumors are dismissed by General Posey's biographer, John Thornton Posey. He died in 1818 in Shawneetown, Illinois.

Posey County, Indiana is named for Thomas Posey.

Further Reading: Posey, John Thornton. General Thomas Posey: Son of the American Revolution. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1992.

This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Preceded by Jean N. Destréhan	United States Senator (Class 2) from Louisiana 1812–1813 Served alongside: Allan B. Magruder	Succeeded by James Brown
Preceded by John Gibson (acting)	Governor of Indiana Territory 1813-1816	Succeeded by Jonathan Jennings First State Governor