Fulwar Skipwith

Fulwar Skipwith (February 21, 1765 – January 7, 1839) was an American soldier, diplomat, politician and farmer. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he served as a U.S. Consul in Martinique, and later as the U.S. Consul-General in France. He was instrumental in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was the first and only governor of the Republic of West Florida in 1810 and was a founding member of the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge. Early life Skipwith was born into an influential family in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. His cousin, Henry Skipwith, was a brother in law to Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. President 1801–1809. Skipwith studied at the College of William & Mary, but left at age 16 to enlist in the army during the American Revolutionary War. He served at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. After American independence was achieved, he entered the tobacco trade. Diplomatic career & family