James McHenry
James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816) was a
Scotch-Irish American military surgeon,
statesman, and a
Founding Father of the United States. McHenry was a signer of the
United States Constitution from
Maryland, initiated the recommendation for Congress to form the
Navy, and was the eponym of
Fort McHenry. He represented Maryland in the
Continental Congress. He was a delegate to the
Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. He served as
United States Secretary of War from 1796 to 1800, bridging the administrations of
George Washington and
John Adams. At the time of his death, McHenry owned 10 slaves, most of whom either worked as household servants or maintained his estate.
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