Biographies

James Adair was a trader, author, physician, and planter who lived among Native American Indian tribes in the American Southeast during the Colonial Era. He is most famous for his 18th Century documentation of Indian customs, culture, and medicines.

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, second President of the United States and the mother of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. Her letters and memoirs of the Revolutionary era are considered to be major historical documents.

John Adams was a Founding Father, America's First Ambassador to the Court of St. James and the Second President of the United States. He was also the first Vice President, serving two terms under George Washington.

John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829, He was the son of John Adams and Abigail Adams and had a long career as a lawyer, diplomat, and politician. He played a key role in helping President James Monroe shape the foreign policy of the United States, which is known as the Monroe Doctrine.

Samuel Adams was a Founding Father, member of the Continental Congress, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a leading proponent of colonial independence from Great Britain. After the Revolution, Adams served four terms as Governor of Massachusetts.

William Alexander was a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He rose to prominence for his brave defense of the American retreat at the Battle of Long Island and helped expose the Conway Cabal. He referred to himself as the Right Honorable William, Earl of Stirling, or Lord Stirling, because he believed he was the rightful heir to the title.

Ethan Allen was a Revolutionary War hero, and leader of the Green Mountain Boys. He was also a key figure in the push for independence and statehood for Vermont.

Robert Anderson was the commander of Fort Sumter during the battle that started the American Civil War. He also served as commander of the Department of the Cumberland in 1861.

John André was a well-known British officer during the American Revolutionary War. He participated in several important battles during the Philadelphia Campaign and oversaw the British intelligence network in New York City. He is most well known for the role he played in Benedict Arnold’s scheme to turn West Point over to the British. André was captured and executed in 1780.

Susan B. Anthony was an educator and activist who rose to prominence as a leader of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the 19th Century. Her dedication to suffrage and equal rights was memorialized with the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin.

Lewis Addison Armistead was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

John Armstrong Jr. was an officer in the Continental Army. He also served as Minister to France and Spain under Thomas Jefferson, and as the Secretary of War under James Madison. During the War for Independence, he may have played a key role in the Newburgh Conspiracy, when officers challenged the authority of Congress.

Benedict Arnold was a General in the Continental Army. He was instrumental in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga at the beginning of the American Revolution but eventually turned traitor.

Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States, serving from September 19, 1881 to March 4, 1885. He succeeded President James Garfield after his assassination. He is most famous for signing the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which targeted the Spoils System. Arthur is notable for being the only person to serve as President without ever having been elected.

John Ashe was a soldier and politician from North Carolina who led Patriot forces in the early part of the American Revolutionary War. Ashe contributed to the key victory at Moore’s Creek Bridge in 1776 but was embarrassed by British forces at the Battle of Briar Creek in 1779.

James Mitchell Ashley was a five-term Ohio Congressman and Radical Republican leader who introduced the House proposal that would become the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Crispus Attucks was the first person killed by British regulars at the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

Joseph Bailey served in the Union Army throughout the American Civil War. He is most remembered for planning and supervising the construction of Bailey's Bridge during the Red River Campaign in 1864.

Nathaniel Prentice Banks was one of President Abraham Lincoln's political Generals during the Civil War. He was also a ten-time member of the United States House of Representatives and served as Governor of Massachusetts.

Clara Barton was an acclaimed humanitarian who is popularly known as the Angel of the Battlefield. She was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, serving from 1881 to 1904.