John Wilkins, Jr.

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John Wilkins, Jr. (December 22, 1761 – April 20, 1816) was a United States Army Major General who served as Quartermaster General of the United States Army from 1796 to 1802.

Biography

John Wilkins, Jr. was born on December 22, 1761 in Donegal (now East Donegal), Pennsylvania and raised in Carlisle.[5]

At age 15 the younger Wilkins enlisted for the American Revolution, and was assigned as Surgeon's Mate of the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment.[6][7] As a result of this service Wilkins earned the nickname "Doctor".[8]

After the war Wilkins became a merchant and contractor in Pennsylvania and Presque Isle, Michigan, providing supplies and equipment to the United States Army in the Northwest Territory.[9]

In 1793 Governor Thomas Mifflin appointed Wilkins as Brigadier General of the Allegheny County Militia as part of Pennsylvania's response to the Whiskey Rebellion.[10]

President George Washington appointed Wilkins as Quartermaster General of the United States Army in June, 1796. In October Wilkins attempted to resign, pleading the necessity of personal business. His resignation was not accepted and he continued to serve, overseeing the supplying and equipping of an expanded Army in anticipation of war with France. The dispute with France was resolved without fighting, and Wilkins served until his position was abolished in March, 1802 as part of a downsizing of the Army.[11][12][13]

After leaving the Army, Wilkins returned to his business interests in Pennsylvania, including serving as President of the Pittsburgh branch of the Bank of Pennsylvania.[14][15][16]

Wilkins died in Pittsburgh on April 29, 1816. He was originally buried in the yard of Pittsburgh's First Presbyterian Church, and later interred in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.[17][18]

Family

Wilkins was the son of John Wilkins, Sr. (1733 – 1810), a Captain in the American Revolution.[19] He was the brother of Senator William Wilkins.[20] He was the father of Judge Ross Wilkins.[21] His grandson Wilkins F. Tannehill (1787-1858), served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1825 to 1827.[22]

Legacy

The town of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania is named for General Wilkins, his father and his brother.[23]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Pennsylvania Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Yearbook, 1903, pages 90 to 91
  6. ↑ 's+mate%22&source=bl&ots=dKcGyhTin8&sig=mLq0W2p6bdupM7rM_cQe5fj__Yg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=34H8T63gB4ic8QTiydXrBg&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22john%20wilkins%22%20%22surgeon's%20mate%22&f=false Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book, Volume 58, 1921, page 178
  7. ↑ Francis Bernard Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army, 1914, page 592
  8. ↑ The Little List, Persons, Places, and Things in Pre-1800 Western Pennsylvania, W-X-Y-Z, Waggener to Zeisberger, accessed July 10, 2012
  9. ↑ US Army Quartermaster Foundation, Biography, Major General John Wilkins, Jr., accessed July 10, 2012
  10. ↑ Pennsylvania Archives, Executive Minutes, 1790-1817, 1907, page 197
  11. ↑ Dr. Peter D. Skirbunt, The Illustrated History of American Military Commissaries, Volume 1, 2009, page 17
  12. ↑ William K. Emerson, Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms, 1996, page 253
  13. ↑ A Sketch of the Organization of the Quartermaster's Department, 1869, page 14
  14. ↑ John W. Jordan, Colonial And Revolutionary Families Of Pennsylvania, 2004, page 886
  15. ↑ Quentin R. Skrabec, The World's Richest Neighborhood: How Pittsburgh's East Enders Forged American Industry, 2010, page 36
  16. ↑ George Thornton Fleming, American Historical Society, History of Pittsburgh and Environs, 1922, page 288
  17. ↑ Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, Volumes 25-26, 1942, page 179
  18. ↑ National Genealogical Society, National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 34, 1946, page 84
  19. ↑ James T. White & Co., The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 18, 1922, page 81
  20. ↑ US Government Printing Office, Senate Documents, Volume 6, 1917, page 106
  21. ↑ David Gardner Chardavoyne, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 2012, pages 17 to 19
  22. ↑ Octavia Zollicoffer Bond, The Tannehill Family, Nashville, Tennessee: The Nashville American, 1909, pp. 1-5
  23. ↑ Wilkinsburg Historical Society, Wilkinsburg, 2007, page 4
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