Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of Virginia

Michael Dinwiddie (1693 – July 27, 1770) was a British colonial administrator who served as lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758, first under Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and then, from July 1756 to January 1758, as deputy for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun. Since the governors at that time were largely absentee, he was the de-facto head of the colony for much of the time. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Events January 11 - Eruption of Mt. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle KG PC ADC (5 June 1702–22 December 1754) was a British diplomat and an American colonist. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun was a British nobleman and military leader. ...

Dinwiddie's actions as lieutenant governor are commonly cited as precipitating the French and Indian War. He wanted to limit French expansion in Ohio Country, an area claimed by the Virginia Colony and in which the Ohio Company had made preliminary surveys and some small settlements. Combatants France First Nations allies: * Algonquin * Wyandot * Ojibwa * Ottawa * Shawnee Great Britain Iroquois Confederacy Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) The French and Indian War was the nine-year North American chapter of the Seven Years War. ... The Ohio Country, showing the present-day U.S. state boundaries The Ohio Country (sometimes called the Ohio Territory) was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake... The Ohio Country, showing present-day U.S. state boundaries The Ohio Company, more formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the colonization of the Ohio Country. ...

In 1753, Dinwiddie learned the French had built Fort Presque Isle near Lake Erie and Fort Le Boeuf, which he saw a threatening Virginia's interests in the Ohio Country. He sent an eight-man expedition under George Washington to warn the French to withdraw. Washington, then only 21 years old, made the journey in midwinter of 1753-54. The French refusal to withdraw set the stage for the events that took place at Fort Necessity. 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Presque Isle (also Fort de la Presqui’le) was a fort built by French soldiers in 1753 on the site of what is now Erie, Pennsylvania. ... Lake Erie (pronounced ) is the eleventh largest lake on Earth[2] and, of the five Great Lakes of North America, it is the fourth largest by surface area, the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. ... Fort Le Boeuf was a fort established by the French in 1753 on a fork of French Creek, which is a tributary of the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution. ... Fort Necessity was a British fortress west of the Pennsylvania colony. ...

In January 1754, even before learning of the French refusal, Dinwiddie sent a small force of Virginia militia to build a fort at the forks of the Ohio River, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers merge to form the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh). The French quickly drove off the Virginians and built a larger fort on the site, calling it Fort Duquesne, in honor of the Marquis de Duquesne, who had recently become governor of New France. 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... The Allegheny River (historically, especially in New York state, also spelled Allegany River) is a principal tributary of the Ohio River, which it forms with the Monongahela River at the downtown Pittsburghs Golden Triangle point. The river is approximately 325 mi (523 km) long, in the U.S. states... The Monongahela River at Morgantown, West Virginia in 1999 The Monongahela River (Affectionately referred to as The Mon) is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in the United States. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, Steel Town, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges, The Burgh Motto: Benigno Numine (With the Benevolent Deity) Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded November 25, 1758 Incorporated April 22, 1794 (borough)   March 18... An artist’s rendering of Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... Other topics that could fall under Marquis Duquesne can be found at Marquis Duquesne (disambiguation) Ange Duquesne de Menneville, Marquis Duquesne (c. ... Capital Quebec Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism Government Monarchy King See List of French monarchs Governor See list of Governors Legislature Sovereign Council of New France Historical era Ancien Régime in France  - Royal Control 1655  - Articles of Capitulation of Quebec 1759  - Articles of Capitulation of Montreal 1760  - Treaty...

In early spring 1754, Dinwiddie sent Washington to build a road to the Monangahela and to then help defend the English fort. Learning that the French had taken the fort, Washington pressed on and built a small stockade, Fort Necessity, at a spot then called "Great Meadows", by the Youghiogheny River, eleven miles southeast of present-day Uniontown. Here he encountered the French in a skirmish on July 3, 1754 and was forced to surrender. Dinwiddie was subsequently active in rallying other colonies in defense against the French and ultimately prevailed upon the British to send General Edward Braddock to Virginia with two regiments of regular troops. Fort Necessity was a British fortress west of the Pennsylvania colony. ... Map of the Monongahela River basin, with the Youghiogheny River highlighted. ... Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 50 miles (80 km) south by east of Pittsburgh. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Britain France Commanders George Washington James Mackay Louis Coulon de Villiers Strength 100 regulars 193 militia, and natives 100 natives 600 marines, and militia Casualties 31 dead 70 wounded 192 captured 3 dead 19 wounded The Battle of the Great Meadows, also known as the Battle of Fort Necessity... General Edward Braddock General Edward Braddock (1695? – July 13, 1755) was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for North America during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War. ...

Dinwiddie's administration was marked by frequent disagreements with the Assembly over finances. In January 1758 he left Virginia and lived in England until his death at Clifton, Bristol.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Robert Dinwiddie", a publication now in the public domain.

Colonial Governors of Virginia

Wingfield • Ratcliffe • Scrivener • Smith • Percy • Gates • De La Warr • Percy • Dale • Gates • Dale • Yeardley • Argall • Yeardley • Wyatt • Yeardley • West • Pott • Harvey • West • Harvey • Wyatt • Berkeley • Bennett • Digges • Mathews • Berkeley • Colepeper • Howard of Effingham • Andros • Nicholson • Nott • Jenings • Hunter • Orkney (absentee) • Spotswood • "King" Carter • Gooch • Albemarle (absentee) • Gooch • Lee • Dinwiddie • Loudoun • Fauquier • Amherst (absentee) • Fauquier • Botetourt • Nelson • Dunmore