#1 Edward Tiffin

Edward Tiffin

Born: June 19, 1766

Died: August 9, 1829

Political Party: Democratic Republican

Term of Office: March 3, 1803 - March 4, 1807

Buried: Grandview Cemetery Chillicothe, Ohio

                                                                       No. 29 of 56

   Edward Tiffin was born in England in 1766. As a teenager, he studied medicine in England. In 1783, he moved with his family to America and settled in Virginia. In Charles Town, Virginia he set up a medical practice. Meanwhile, he his involvement in the local Methodist church led him to become a lay minister in 1792.

     He married Mary Worthington, the sister of Thomas Worthington, who would later be one of Ohio's first US Senators  and later Governor of Ohio. When Worthington acquired land in Chillicothe, Ohio, the Tiffin's moved with the Worthington's to Ohio in 1798. Both men became active in the political climate of the Northwest Territory. Territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair appointed Tiffin to be chief clerk of the Northwest Territories court of  Common Pleas. Tiffin was chosen to serve in the legislature of the Northwest Territory in 1799, and was then picked to serve as Speaker of the House of the NW Territories. As Ohio moved closer to statehood, Tiffin served as president of the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1802. Just like his brother in law Thomas Worthington, Tiffin was often at odds with Territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair, who opposed Ohio's statehood. St. Clair, a Federalist, knew that the state of Ohio would become a stronghold for the Democratic Republican party. Thankfully, due to the efforts of Tiffin, Worthington, President Jefferson and others, Ohio became the 17th State on March 3, 1803. And Edward Tiffin became it's 1st Governor. Tiffin's brother in law Thomas Worthington was chosen at the same time to be one of Ohio's first 2, US Senators.

   As Governor, Tiffin dealt with a number of issues. Among these were the rise of the American Indian Confederacy, organized by Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh traveled throughout the Northwest Territory and formed a large alliance of American Indian tribes to fight the United States. This issue was made worse by British forces coming through Canada, providing aid and weapons to Tecumseh and his men. Edward Tiffin won reelection in 1805. He served as Governor until January 1, 1807, at which time Tiffin was chosen to replace his brother in law Thomas Worthington in the US  Senate. In this, Tiffin set a precedent of many future Governor's who would represent Ohio in the US Senate after there time as Governor had ended.

    Tiffin resigned from the US Senate in 1809 to return to his medical practice. Not long after returning home he was elected into the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was chosen to serve as Speaker of the Ohio House. In 1812, President James Madison appointed Tiffin to be chief commissioner of the United States Land Office. It was while serving in this position that Tiffin found himself in Washington DC in 1814 as the invading British Army was en route to burn the Capital. Tiffin saw to it that the British Army would not get there hands on the records held in his office.

   He spent his final years, closer to home, serving as Surveyor of the Northwest territory. He died in 1829.
 
    As I have gotten back into this hobby in early 2017, I had been updating these pages with more information. When I updated the Thomas Worthington page, for some reason that post was updated as a new post and places as a more recent addition. So to set the record straight, Worthington was the 28th Governor gravesite that I visited, 3rd in this cemetery. And Tiffin is the 29th overall and the 4th in this cemetery.

Edward Tiffin and I