People of the Revolutionary War | The Founding Fathers - An Overview | James McClurg
James McClurg (1746-1823) - Virginia
James McClurg was born near Hampton, VA, in 1746. He attended the College of
William and Mary and graduated in
1762. McClurg then studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and
received his degree in 1770. He pursued postgraduate medical studies
in Paris and London and published Experiments upon the Human Bile and
Reflections on the Biliary Secretions (1772) in London. His work and
writings were well-received and respected by the medical community,
and his article was translated into several languages. In 1773 McClurg
returned to Virginia and served as a surgeon in the state militia
during the Revolution.
Before the end of the war the College of
William and Mary appointed McClurg its professor of anatomy and
medicine. The same year, 1779, he married Elizabeth Seldon. James
McClurg's reputation continued to grow, and he was regarded as one of
the most eminent physicians in Virginia. In 1820 and 1821 he was
president of the state medical society.
In addition to his medical practice, McClurg
pursued politics. In 1782 James Madison advocated McClurg's
appointment as secretary of foreign affairs for the United States but
was unsuccessful. When Richard Henry Lee
and Patrick Henry declined to serve as
representatives to the Constitutional
Convention in 1787, McClurg was asked to join Virginia's
delegation. In Philadelphia McClurg advocated a life tenure for the
President and argued for the ability of the federal government to
override state laws. Even as some at the convention expressed
apprehension of the powers allotted to the presidency, McClurg
championed greater independence of the executive from the legislative
branch. He left the convention in early August, however, and did not
sign the Constitution.
James McClurg's political service did not end
with the convention. During George
Washington's administration McClurg served on Virginia's executive
council. He died in Richmond, VA, on July 9, 1823.
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