Who was Thomas Pinckney?

Thomas Pinckney (1750–1828), was an American soldier, politician, and diplomat.

Pinckney was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and was educated in Great Britain (at Westminster) and France. He fought in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781, attaining the rank of Captain of Engineers. Pinckney was governor of South Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and became the U.S. ambassador to Britain in 1792. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1797 to 1801. He was a Major General during the War of 1812.

His brother Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and his cousin Charles Pinckney were signers of the United States Constitution. He arranged the Treaty of San Lorenzo, also known as the Pinckney's Treaty, with Spain in 1795. He ran as a Federalist candidate in the U.S. presidential election, 1796.

Pinckneyville, Georgia, was named after Thomas Pinckney after he traveled through the area. That town no longer exists as its residents left to found the nearby Norcross. Pinckneyville is the name of a Middle School in the Norcross area.

He was married twice to sisters-his second wife was the widow of John Middleton-a cousin of Arthur Middleton. His mother-in-law was [Rebecca Motte] of Fort Motte. Rebecca Motte's niece was named Susannah Smith-daughter of the Speaker of the S.C. Carolina Assembly Benjamin Smith-& wife of Colonel Bernard Elliott of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. A son of Benjamin Smith named William Loughton Smith was married to Charlotte Izard-a daughter of S.C. Congressman Ralph Izard. A son-in-law of Benjamin Smith was Congressman Isaac Motte who was also a brother-in-law of Congressman Thomas Lynch (statesman) and South Carolina Governor William Moultrie. By another wife Isaac Motte was also brother-in-law to a Thomas Middleton-cousin of Congressman Arthur Middleton. Isaac Motte's sister Charlotte was married to Captain John Huger-later Secretary of State of South Carolina-a uncle of Dr. Francis Kinloch Huger. Captain John Huger's brother Major Benjamin Huger {1746-1779} was the father of S.C. Congressman Benjamin Huger (1768-1823) and of Dr. Francis Kinloch Huger.

His son Thomas was married to Elizabeth Izard, a cousin twice removed of South Carolina Congressman Ralph Izard. A daughter of Thomas married to Dr. Francis Kinloch Huger; their son was CS General Benjamin Huger (1805-1877) who was also the grandnephew of Congressman Daniel E. Huger. Congressman Huger was the brother-in-law of Lewis Morris Jr-who was the son of New York Congressman Lewis Morris.

The wife of his first cousin once removed was the sister of Colonel John Laurens-son of Congressional President Henry Laurens. {A sister of John Laurens was the wife of Congressman David Ramsay; Henry-a brother of John Laurens-married Elizabeth daughter of Governor John Rutledge.} Another son of Thomas named Charles Cotesworth Pinckney married to Phoebe Elliott-a daughter of a South Carolina State Represenative William Elliott and Phoebe Waight. Nephews of Phoebe Elliott was South Carolina COngressman [William Elliott] and his brother Confederate General [Stephen Elliott Jr].