The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Northam 1st Baron Northam | |
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Portrait of Chancellor Frederick Northam, 1792 | |
1st Chancellor of Cygnia | |
In office 13 November 1792 – 3 January 1805 | |
Monarch | George I |
Deputy | Charles Grey |
Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Succeeded by | Charles Grey |
First General of the Cygnian Army | |
In office 21 May 1785 – 19 November 1792 | |
Monarch | George I |
Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Succeeded by | Warren Feynman |
40th Governor of Carolina | |
In office 8 October 1775 – 30 April 1783 | |
Monarch | George III |
Preceded by | William Tryon |
Succeeded by | Andrew Elliot |
Member of the Cygnian House of Representatives for Kelmscott | |
In office 3 January 1793 – 3 January 1805 | |
Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Succeeded by | Henry Brougham |
Member of the House of Councillors for Carolina | |
In office 7 February 1805 – 14 December 1806 | |
President | Sir Martin Knox |
Personal details | |
Born | 22 February 1739 Perth, Province of Carolina |
Died | 14 December 1806 (aged 67) Perth, Carolina, Cygnia |
Citizenship | British Cygnian |
Political party | Federalist |
Spouse(s) | Maryanne Northam (m. 1766) |
Religion | Church of England Church of Cygnia |
Military service | |
Allegiance | King of the United Kingdom King of Cygnia |
Service/branch | British Army Cygnian Army |
Years of service | 1759–65 (British Army) 1785–92 (Cygnian Army) |
Rank | Lieutenant General (United Kingdom) General (Cygnia) |
Commands | New Zealand Colony's regiment Cygnian Army |
Sir Frederick Northam, 1st Baron Northam (22 February 1739 [O.S. 11 February 1739] – 14 December 1806) was the first Chancellor of Cygnia (1792 – 1805), and was prior to that the 40th and last colonial Governor of Carolina. He became a major military leader of the young Cygnia during the Cygnian War of Independence, and also was one of the principal authors of the Imperial Constitution. He is considered to be, alongside King George I and several others, one of the Founding Fathers of Cygnia.
In 1792, King George I appointed Northam as provisional Chancellor, pending federal elections to be held later that year. A supporter of the Federalist cause, Northam joined the movement in December 1792, and was immediately elected as its leader. He led the party to victory at the first federal election. Northam oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that won acceptance among Cygnians of all types. Northam's incumbency established many precedents still in use today, such as the cabinet system and the inaugural address.
He was born into the provincial gentry of Colonial Carolina to a family of wealthy planters who owned vineyards and slaves, which he inherited. In his youth, he became a senior officer in the British Army, and fought for the United Kingdom during the Dutchmen's Insurgency in New Zealand. Lieutenant-General Northam was appointed as Governor of Carolina by the King in 1775. In 1783, King George III of the United Kingdom fled to Cygnia in the wake of the French Revolution, and created a British government-in-exile in the form of the Kingdom of Cygnia, appointing Northam to the Federation Congress. He was later appointed as the inaugural First General of the Cygnian Army in the War of Independence. In that command, he forced the French out of West Georgia in 1785, but was defeated and nearly captured later that year when he lost East Georgia.
After crossing the outback in the middle of summer, he defeated the French in two battles, retook the East Georgian capital of Albany, and restored momentum to the loyalist cause. Historians laud Northam for the selection and supervision of his generals; preservation and command of the army; coordination with the federal government in Perth, the state governments and their military divisions; and attention to supplies, logistics and training. In battle, however, Northam was repeatedly outmanoeuvred by French generals with larger armies.
After victory had been finalised in 1792, General Northam resigned as First General rather than seize power, proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to democracy. Northam presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1792, which created a new form of Imperial government for Cygnia. Following his appointment as chancellor in 1792, he worked to unify rival factions in the fledgling nation, despite sitting as a Federalist. He supported programs to satisfy all debts, federal and state, implemented an effective tax system, and created the Reserve Bank of Cygnia. Northam retired from the chancellorship in 1805, returning to his home and plantation in the Carolinian countryside. Northam was knighted the day after he stepped down from power, and was granted the title of Baron Northam; he was also appointed to the House of Councillors by the King on the advice of his cancellarial successor, Charles Grey.
While Northam was in power, his use of national authority pursued many ends, especially the preservation of liberty, reduction of regional tensions, and promotion of a spirit of Cygnian nationalism. He was revered in life and in death; scholarly and public polling consistently ranks him among the top five chancellors in Cygnian history. He has been depicted and remembered in monuments, currency, and other dedications to the present day.