Edmund Fanning (April 24, 1739–February 28, 1818) first gained fame for his role in the Battle of Alamance, but later had a distiguished career as a colonial governor and British general. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... Events March 20 - Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, including the Koh-i-Noor September 9 - Stono Rebellion erupts near Charleston September 18 - Treaty of Belgrade signed October 3 - Treaty of Nissa signed October 23 - Great Britain declares war... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1818 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Edmund Fanning was born in the Town of Southold on Long Island in the colony of New York. He was graduated from Yale in 1757 and studied law in New York. He then moved to North Carolina in 1761 and settled in Hillsborough. He held several local political posts and became a protégé of colonial governor William Tryon. Fanning came into conflict with the leaders of the Regulator movement. After several riots, the movement was crushed by the colonial government at the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771. William Tryon (January 27, 1729 to 1788) was colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina (1765-1771) and the Province of New York (1771-1780, though he did not retain much power in the colony beyond 1777). ... // Causes of the War In 1764, several thousand people from North Carolina, mainly from Orange, Anson, and Granville counties in the western region, were extremely dissatisfied with officials whom they considered to practice cruel, arbitrary, and overall tyrannical rule. ...

Fanning followed Tryon to New York as his personal secretary. At the start of the American Revolution, revolutionaries drove Fanning from his home, forcing him to seek refuge aboard the HMS Asia in the New York harbor. Fanning later raised a regiment of Loyalists named the King's American Regiment. He was wounded twice during the war and was credited with saving Yale College from destruction by British forces.

After the war, Fanning became lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, and on November 30, 1785 he married Phebe Maria Burns. In 1786, he became governor of Prince Edward Island and held the post for nearly 19 years. He was appointed General of the British Army in 1808. He retired to London and died there in 1818.

Despite having several children, Fanning had no grandchildren. However, he had several prominent nephews, including the like-named explorer Edmund Fanning, the war hero Nathaniel Fanning, and the celebrated attorney John Wickham. Edmund Fanning (July 16, 1769 – April 23, 1841) was an American explorer and sea captain, known as the Pathfinder of the Pacific. ... Nathaniel Fanning (31 May 1755 – 30 September 1805) 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. ... John Wickham (June 6, 1763–January 22, 1839) was an American Loyalist and attorney best remembered for his role in the treason trial of former Vice President Aaron Burr. ...