John Pierce Jr.
John Pierce Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 3, 1752 Farmington, Connecticut Colony |
| Died | August 1, 1788 (aged 35) New York City, US |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | Continental Army United States Army |
| Years of service | 1775–1783 (Continental Army) 1783–1788 (US Army) |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Continental Army Paymaster Department US Army Paymaster department |
| Commands | Paymaster-General of the Continental Army Paymaster-General of the United States Army |
| Wars | American Revolutionary War |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Bard Pierce
(m. 1786–1788) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relations | Sarah Pierce (sister) |
John Pierce Jr. (3 December 1752 – 1 August 1788) was an officer in the Continental Army and United States Army. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he attained the rank of colonel in the pay department. Pierce served in paymaster assignments throughout his career, including Paymaster-General of the Continental Army from 1781 to 1783 and Paymaster-General of the United States Army from 1783 until his death. Pierce is also regarded as one of the founders of the Litchfield Female Academy.
Biography
[edit]John Pierce Jr. was born in Farmington, Connecticut on 3 December 1752, the son of John Pierce and Mary (Paterson) Pierce.[1] His parents moved to Litchfield soon after his birth.[1] His mother died in 1770, and in 1772 his father married Mary Goodman.[1]
In 1775, Pierce joined the Continental Army for the American Revolutionary War.[1] In 1776, he was appointed assistant paymaster-general, and in 1779 he was advanced to deputy paymaster-general.[1] In 1781, Pierce became the paymaster-general with the rank of colonel, and he held this position until his death.[1][2]
As paymaster-general in the years following the Revolution, Pierce supervised payment of more than 93,000 certificates for deferred soldier pay, which totaled more than 10 million dollars.[1][a] As the Continental Army's Commissioner of Accounts from 1781 to 1783, it also fell to Pierce to settle the organization's accounts prior to its disbanding.[1]
Pierce's father died in 1783; as the oldest of eight children, he assumed responsibility for his stepmother and younger siblings.[1] In 1786, he brought his sisters Sarah and Nancy (or Anna) to New York City so they could receive the education and training necessary to become schoolteachers.[1] After they returned to Litchfield, Pierce aided Sarah to begin the school that became known as Litchfield Female Academy.[1]
In November 1786, Pierce married Ann Bard, the daughter of Dr. John Bard and sister of Dr. Samuel Bard.[1][4] They had no children.[4] He died in New York City on 1 August 1788.[1][5]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Biography, John Pierce Jr". The Ledger: A Database of Students at the Litchfield law School and Litchfield Female Academy. Litchfield, Connecticut: Litchfield Historical Society. 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Egleston, Thomas (1898). The Life of John Paterson. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 3 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Inflation Calculator". Westegg.com. Morgan Friedman. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ a b Helffenstein, Abraham Ernest (1911). Pierre Fauconnier and His Descendants. Philadelphia: S. H. Burbank & Co. p. 102 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kilbourne, Payne Kenyon (1859). Sketches and Chronicles of the Town of Litchfield, Connecticut. Hartford: Case, Lockwood and Company. p. 196 – via Google Books.