Pinckney, Thomas

born Oct. 23, 1750, Charleston, S.C.

died Nov. 2, 1828, Charleston, S.C., U.S.

U.S. soldier, politician, and diplomat.

The brother of Charles C. Pinckney and a cousin of Charles Pinckney, he served as governor of South Carolina (1787–89) and as minister to Britain (1792–96). As special envoy to Spain (1795), he negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo, also called Pinckney's Treaty, which fixed the southern border of the U.S. and granted the U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and the right of deposit (storage of goods) at New Orleans. He was a major general in the War of 1812.

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▪ American statesman

born Oct. 23, 1750, Charleston, S.C. [U.S.]

died Nov. 2, 1828, Charleston

 American soldier, politician, and diplomat who negotiated Pinckney's Treaty (Oct. 27, 1795) with Spain.

      After military service in the American Revolutionary War, Pinckney, a younger brother of the diplomat Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, turned to law and politics. He served as governor of South Carolina (1787–89) and as president of the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. As U.S. minister to Great Britain (1792–96) and envoy extraordinary to Spain in 1795, he negotiated the Treaty of San Lorenzo, or Pinckney's Treaty.

      Pinckney was the unsuccessful Federalist candidate for vice president in 1796. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1797–1801) and a major general in the War of 1812. Upon retiring from public life, he practiced law and was a frequent contributor to the Southern Agriculturist.

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