John Wickham (1763)
Encyclopedia
John Wickham was an American
Loyalist
and attorney
. He was one of the very few Loyalists to achieve any sort of national prominence in the United States after the American Revolution
, and is best remembered for his role in the treason
trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr
in 1807.
in the village of Cutchogue
. His father was a minister in the Anglican Church and a Loyalist
, while his uncle Parker Wickham
was also a Loyalist, and was active in the local government.
After the American Revolution
, Parker Wickham was banished from New York State
under an act of attainder
. Despite vigorously declaring his innocence, Parker Wickham was never granted a trial and was sentenced to death if he returned to New York. The unfairness of this bitter event gave John Wickham a life-long appreciation of the sanctity of a person's legal rights, regardless of their political affiliation.
Although he was a first cousin of Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Fanning
, Wickham was heavily influenced by his uncle Edmund Fanning
, a colonel
(later a general) in the British Army
. Fanning raised a unit called the King's American Regiment
, which Wickham served in as an ensign. While traveling through Virginia, Wickham was captured and put on trial as a spy, but acquitted.
After the Revolutionary War, Wickham earned a degree in law from the College of William and Mary
, where he became a close friend of John Marshall
, later fourth Chief Justice of the U.S.. Wickham moved to Richmond
and experienced tremendous financial success helping British merchants collect debts from American businessmen. He married his first cousin Mary Smith Fanning and had two children. After her early death, he married Elizabeth Seldon McClurg and had seventeen more children. McClurg was the daughter of Richmond Mayor and U.S. Congressman Dr. James McClurg
, a member of the convention which framed the Constitution of the United States in 1787.
In 1807, Wickham was lead counsel for Aaron Burr
in his trial for treason. Although Thomas Jefferson
took an active role in trying to have his former Vice President executed, Burr was found innocent. Wickham's old friend John Marshall was the presiding judge.
Wickham bred racehorses. The best and most famous of them all was Boston
, which he lost in a card game. Boston became one of the greatest horses of his time, and sired the greatest stud, Lexington
.
's Shockoe Hill Cemetery
. Wickham's numerous descendants continued to be active in Virginia affairs. His grandson Williams Carter Wickham
was a Confederate
general, and served as the first president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
. His granddaughter Charlotte Wickham was the daughter-in-law of General Robert E. Lee
—being the first wife of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
. Wickham's residence, called the Wickham House
, is now part of the Valentine Richmond History Center
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
and attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He was one of the very few Loyalists to achieve any sort of national prominence in the United States after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and is best remembered for his role in the treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
in 1807.
Biography
Wickham was the oldest son of John Wickham Sr. and his wife Hannah Fanning. Wickham was born in the colony of New YorkHistory of New York
The history of New York begins around 10,000 BCE, when the first Native Americans arrived. By 1100 CE, New York's main tribes, the Iroquoian and Algonquian cultures, had developed. New York was discovered by the French in 1524 and first claimed in 1609 by the Dutch...
in the village of Cutchogue
Cutchogue, New York
Cutchogue is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York . The population was 2,849 at the 2000 census.Cutchogue CDP roughly represents the area of Cutchogue hamlet in the town of Southold.-Geography:...
. His father was a minister in the Anglican Church and a Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
, while his uncle Parker Wickham
Parker Wickham
Parker Wickham is famous for being a Loyalist politician who was banished from the State of New York under dubious circumstances....
was also a Loyalist, and was active in the local government.
After the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Parker Wickham was banished from New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
under an act of attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
. Despite vigorously declaring his innocence, Parker Wickham was never granted a trial and was sentenced to death if he returned to New York. The unfairness of this bitter event gave John Wickham a life-long appreciation of the sanctity of a person's legal rights, regardless of their political affiliation.
Although he was a first cousin of Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Fanning
Nathaniel Fanning
Nathaniel Fanning was an officer in the Continental Navy and later the United States Navy, who served on board Bonhomme Richard during its 1779 battle with HMS Serapis....
, Wickham was heavily influenced by his uncle Edmund Fanning
Edmund Fanning (colonial administrator)
Edmund Fanning first gained fame for his role in the War of the Regulation, but later had a distinguished career as a colonial governor and British general.right| Sketch of Edmund Fanning...
, a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(later a general) in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. Fanning raised a unit called the King's American Regiment
King's American Regiment
The King's American Regiment was a British provincial regiment which was raised and served in the American Revolutionary War.It was raised in New York in December, 1776 by Colonel Edmund Fanning as the Associated Refugees. It served in the attacks on Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery...
, which Wickham served in as an ensign. While traveling through Virginia, Wickham was captured and put on trial as a spy, but acquitted.
After the Revolutionary War, Wickham earned a degree in law from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, where he became a close friend of John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
, later fourth Chief Justice of the U.S.. Wickham moved to Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and experienced tremendous financial success helping British merchants collect debts from American businessmen. He married his first cousin Mary Smith Fanning and had two children. After her early death, he married Elizabeth Seldon McClurg and had seventeen more children. McClurg was the daughter of Richmond Mayor and U.S. Congressman Dr. James McClurg
James McClurg
James McClurg was a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention. McClurg was an established physician in Virginia who was educated at the College of William and Mary and took his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. He was a fellow student with Thomas Jefferson. He practiced first in...
, a member of the convention which framed the Constitution of the United States in 1787.
In 1807, Wickham was lead counsel for Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
in his trial for treason. Although Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
took an active role in trying to have his former Vice President executed, Burr was found innocent. Wickham's old friend John Marshall was the presiding judge.
Wickham bred racehorses. The best and most famous of them all was Boston
Boston (horse)
Boston , was an outstanding chestnut Thoroughbred racehorse and a Leading sire in North America three times from 1851 to 1853. He started in about 45 races, winning 40 of these, including 15 in succession...
, which he lost in a card game. Boston became one of the greatest horses of his time, and sired the greatest stud, Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
.
Death, legacy
His interment was located in RichmondRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
's Shockoe Hill Cemetery
Shockoe Hill Cemetery
The Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia.-History:Established in 1820, with the initial burial in 1822, Shockoe Hill Cemetery was the first city-owned municipal burial ground in Richmond. The cemetery expanded in 1833, 1850, and 1870, but now is...
. Wickham's numerous descendants continued to be active in Virginia affairs. His grandson Williams Carter Wickham
Williams Carter Wickham
Williams Carter Wickham was a lawyer, judge, politician, and an important Confederate cavalry general who fought in the Virginia campaigns during the American Civil War...
was a Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
general, and served as the first president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
. His granddaughter Charlotte Wickham was the daughter-in-law of General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
—being the first wife of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
. Wickham's residence, called the Wickham House
Wickham House
The Wickham House, also known as the Wickham-Valentine House or the Valentine Museum, in Richmond, Virginia was completed in 1812 and is considered one of the finest examples of architecture from the Federal period. It was built by John Wickham and designed by Massachusetts architect Alexander...
, is now part of the Valentine Richmond History Center
Valentine Richmond History Center
The Valentine Richmond History Center is a museum dedicated to the history of Richmond, Virginia, USA, in the Court End neighborhood. It started out as an eclectic collection of Mann S. Valentine, Jr., the independently wealthy creator of Valentine's Meat Juice...
.