James Garrard (January 14, 1749 – January 9, 1822) was an American soldier who served as the second Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. He was also a Baptist minister, but his secretary of state, Unitarian minister Henry Toulmin, influenced him to adopt Socinianism. The local Baptist association withdrew fellowship from Garrard for adopting and promoting this doctrine, which they considered heretical.
Garrard's election in 1796 highlighted a ...
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James Garrard (January 14, 1749 – January 9, 1822) was an American soldier who served as the second Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. He was also a Baptist minister, but his secretary of state, Unitarian minister Henry Toulmin, influenced him to adopt Socinianism. The local Baptist association withdrew fellowship from Garrard for adopting and promoting this doctrine, which they considered heretical.
Garrard's election in 1796 highlighted a problem with how Kentucky elected her governors. Because of the confusion, Garrard advocated the calling of a constitutional convention, but he was denied the opportunity to be a delegate because of his anti-slavery views. The convention showed their respect for Garrard by exempting him from the constitution's prohibition against succeeding himself in office. His re-election in 1800 made him the only Kentucky governor to succeed himself in office until the Kentucky constitution was amended in 1992 to allow the governor to hold two consecutive...
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