Innes, Harry, 1752-1816

Harry Innes was involved, at the time this letter was written, in what is now termed the Spanish Conspiracy. The conspiracy involved Kentucky petitioning to become an independent state and then entering into an alliance with Spain. This would be benificial to Kentucky economically while protecting Spain's valuable colony, Mexico. This alliance plan failed after the defeat of the Jay-Gardoqui Treaty. The treaty would have forbidden United States navigation of the Mississippi River for twenty-five years. Others involved in this failed alliance were James Wilkenson, John Brown, Benjamin Sebastian, and Caleb Wallace. [Kentucky Encyclopedia p.839]

From the description of Harry Innes letter : 1787. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 37458621

Lawyer, first federal judge for Ky.

From the description of Legal opinions, 1795-1806. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49243390

From the description of Harry Innes : miscellaneous papers, 1800-1809. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49243388

Lawyer, and first federal judge for Ky.

From the description of Harry Innes : papers, 1750-1816. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49243389

Harry Innes was born in Caroline County, Virginia, in 1752. He read law under George Wythe and was admitted to the bar in 1773. Innes migrated to Kentucky in 1783, after being appointed to the newly established supreme court of the Kentucky District. Besides law, Innes was active in land speculation, farming, and politics. He was heavily involved in Kentucky's drive for statehood, served as the first judge of the U.S. Court for the District of Kentucky. He continued to serve as judge until his death in 1816. Several key controversies highlighted Innes's career. This includes Innes's quarrel with Federalist Humphrey Marshall. Marshall believed that Innes participated in the Spanish Conspiracy and Innes believed Marshall was guilty of land fraud. They both tried to impeach the other. This controversy lasted until Innes died.

From the description of Harry Innes letters : 1809-1815. (Kentucky Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 36908789

Virginia legislator; U.S. district judge for Kentucky, 1789-1816.

From the description of Letter, 11 July 1811. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 49243391

Lawyer and jurist.

From the description of Harry Innes papers, 1754-1900 (bulk 1780-1850). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70981879

Judge, attorney, politician.

Harry Innes, a native of Virginia, served as attorney-general for that state's western district, Kentucky, and was later appointed a U.S. District judge. He was implicated in the conspiracies linked to General James Wilkinson, which sought to separate Kentucky from the fledgling American republic and ally it with Spain. Congress did not impeach Innes and he pressed libel suits against his accusers.

From the description of Harry Innes papers, 1775-1815. (University of Kentucky Libraries). WorldCat record id: 13493537

Biographical note: Harry Innes was born in Caroline County, Virginia in 1752, the son of a Scottish Episcopalian minister. He was educated as a lawyer. At the beginning of the American Revolution in 1776 and 1777, Innes was employed by the committee of public safety in Virginia to manage Chupil's lead mines. The Virginia legislature appointed him a commissioner to hear land claims in the state's Abington district.

He was named a judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia for the District of Kentucky in 1783. Two years later, he became the attorney general for the same district. Innes was appointed United States district judge for Kentucky in 1789. Politically allied with George Nicholas and John Brown, Innes favored a separate arrangement between Spain and Kentucky in respect to the navigation of the Mississippi River. He was accused of participation in the "Spanish Conspiracy" to separate Kentucky from the United States, but Congress refused to impeach him. Innes died in Frankfort in 1816. His daughter, Maria Innes, married John H. Todd. After being widowed, she later married John J. Crittenden.

From the description of Notebooks and letters, 1772-1890 (bulk 1772-1807). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 191917770

Lawyer, judge, politician, and land speculator in Virginia and Kentucky.

Innes was active in Kentucky's drive for statehood, served as the first judge of the U.S. Court for the District of Kentucky, and continued to serve as judge until his death in 1816. He maintained a lifelong feud with Federalist Humphrey Marshall, who believed that Innes wanted to see Kentucky as an independent state in order to form an alliance with Spain.

From the description of Papers, 1784-1808. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 48447745

Biographical Note

• 1752, Jan. 4: Born, Caroline Co., Va.
• 1773 - 1776 : Practiced law, Bedford County, Va.
• [1776]: Married Elizabeth Calloway (died 1791)
• 1776 - 1777 : Administered powder mills and lead mines in Virginia under the Virginia Committee of Safety
• 1779: Appointed by Virginia legislature to determine claims to unpatented lands in district around Abingdon, Va. Appointed escheator, Bedford County, Va.
• 1781: Appointed commissioner of the specific tax, Bedford Co., Va.
• 1782 - 1783 : Superintendent over commissioners of the specific tax of six Virginia counties
• 1784: Appointed to succeed Walker Daniel as attorney general for the western district of Virginia
• 1785: Moved to Kentucky
• 1785 - 1792 : Member, board of trustees, Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky.
• 1789: Member, Kentucky Manufacturing Society, which established a cotton factory, Danville, Ky., in 1790
• 1789 - 1816 : Judge, United States District Court for Kentucky
• 1792: Married Ann Shields
• 1816, Sept. 20: Died, Frankfort, Ky.

From the guide to the Harry Innes Papers, 1754-1900, (bulk 1780-1850), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)