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The Right Honourable
Sir Frederick Northam
1st Baron Northam
OlderPittThe Younger
Portrait of Chancellor Frederick Northam, 1792
1st Chancellor of Cygnia
In office
13 November 1792 – 3 January 1805
MonarchGeorge I
DeputyCharles Grey
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byCharles Grey
First General of the Cygnian Army
In office
21 May 1785 – 19 November 1792
MonarchGeorge I
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byWarren Feynman
40th Governor of Carolina
In office
8 October 1775 – 30 April 1783
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded byWilliam Tryon
Succeeded byAndrew Elliot
Member of the
Cygnian House of Representatives
for Kelmscott
In office
3 January 1793 – 3 January 1805
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byHenry Brougham
Member of the House of Councillors for Carolina
In office
7 February 1805 – 14 December 1806
PresidentSir 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 Flag of the United Kingdom King of the United Kingdom
Flag 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.

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