Born September 23, 1745 (Rockingham County, Virginia)
Died September 24, 1815 (Fort Decatur, Alabama)

First governor of Tennessee

John Sevier served as the first, and only, governor of the state of Franklin from 1784 until its collapse in 1788. He went on to serve six terms as governor of the state of Tennessee after participating in the organization of the state in 1796. When his term as governor ended in 1809, Sevier was elected as a state senator representing Knox County, Tennessee. Sevier began his career as a pioneer and a soldier, but his leadership abilities soon carried him into public service. He exercised a lifelong commitment to western and southern expansion of American settlement during the early formative years of the United States. Sevier ended his political career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and advisor to U.S. president James Madison (1751–1836; served 1809–17; see entry in volume 2).

A Soldier of Fortune