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Affiliation | Democratic-Republican |
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Name | Nathaniel Massie |
Address | Chillicothe, Ohio , United States |
Email | None |
Website | None |
Born |
December 28, 1763
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Died | November 03, 1813
(49 years)
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Contributor | ... |
Last Modifed | Chronicler Dec 06, 2007 08:22pm |
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Info | Nathaniel Massie was a land speculator and surveyor who helped to organize the Virginia Military District. He was originally from Virginia, although he had lived in Kentucky since 1780. Massie was responsible for founding some of the earliest communities in the Virginia Military District. In 1790, he surveyed the site of the first settlement, Massie's Station, which was located along the Ohio River. He used this town as his base as he moved further into the region. Commonly, he received a portion of the land he surveyed in payment for his work and, as a result, became a large landowner within the district.
In 1796, Massie laid out a town on the Scioto River which became known as Chillicothe. This community grew quickly, becoming a center of political influence within the Northwest Territory. Massie himself chose to settle in Chillicothe, along with other influential men in the territory such as Thomas Worthington and Edward Tiffin. These three men became involved in territorial politics as members of the Democratic-Republican Party and served in the territorial legislature. Massie commonly opposed the policies of the territorial governor, Arthur St. Clair.
St. Clair's supporters tried to pass a law that would have divided the Northwest Territory in such a way that it would have been much more difficult for Ohio to obtain statehood. Massie, Worthington, and other Democratic-Republicans petitioned Congress to have the original provisions of the Northwest Ordinance stand. These men were successful in their petitions, and in early 1802 Congress voted against the division bill. Within just a few more months, Ohio would be on the path to statehood.
Once statehood was achieved and the new government had been organized in 1803, Massie became speaker of the Ohio Senate.
Presidential Elector (DR-OH) 1804 [Ohio Elects the President, p. 12.]
In 1806, voters elected him to the House of Representatives. In these positions, Massie helped to create the laws that would define Ohio in the future. In 1807, Massie ran for governor against Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. Massie received fewer votes than Meigs, but Meigs was ineligible for the office. The General Assembly declared Massie the winner, but he refused the position. The president of the Ohio Senate, Thomas Kirker, became governor.
Following his campaign for governor, Massie withdrew from the political arena. He fought in the War of 1812, leading a detachment to the relief of Fort Meigs. Massie died on November 3, 1813.
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