Blount, William

Blount, William

(1749–1800) governor, U.S. senator; born in Bertie County, N.C. After fighting in the American Revolution, he served in the North Carolina legislature and then represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress (1782–87). Appointed governor of Tennessee territory in 1790, he became one of the new state of Tennessee's first U.S. senators (1796–97). He was expelled from office when he became implicated in a conspiracy with the British to attack Louisiana and Florida, which then belonged to Spain. After his impeachment was dismissed, he was elected to the Tennessee senate.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.