Charles Simms
Encyclopedia
Charles Simms was a lawyer and public official from Virginia.
He was born in 1755 in Prince William County, Virginia
, the son of Jane Glascock Purcell and John Simms. He was studying law at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
and on 12 November 1776 became a major of the 12th Virginia Regiment
. On 29 September 1777 he became a Lieutenant-Colonel of the 6th Virginia. He transferred to the 2nd Virginia on 14 September 1778, and resigned as a colonel on 7 December 1779. Because of his service he was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
.
After the war Simms practiced law in Alexandria, Virginia. He represented Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates
in 1785, 1786, 1792, and 1796, and was a delegate in the Virginia Ratifying Convention
in 1788 that ratified the United States Constitution
. He served on the committee that recommended amendments to the Constitution. In 1799, he successfully defended a land claim in the United States Supreme Court case Irvine v. Sims's Lessee
; his last name was misspelled in the official court records.
While serving as mayor of Alexandria in 1814 he surrendered the town to the British. While censured for his actions he was later exonerated.
During the course of his adult life he was a Mason as well as an acquaintance and associate of President George Washington
. Simms served as a pall bearer at Washington's funeral along with Dennis Ramsay, William Payne, George Gilpin, Philip Marsteller and Charles Little. All were colonels in the Revolution and had served Washington. They also were all Masons and all but one were members of the Masonic Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22.
Col. Simms married Nancy Ann Douglass, daughter of Major William Douglass and Catherine Van Buskirk, on 15 Dec 1778 in Trenton, New Jersey. To this marriage were born eight children. Simms died on 29 Aug 1819 in Alexandria, Virginia, and was buried with military and Masonic honors on 31 Aug 1819. He is buried at Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)
Cemetery, Alexandria.
He was born in 1755 in Prince William County, Virginia
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
, the son of Jane Glascock Purcell and John Simms. He was studying law at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and on 12 November 1776 became a major of the 12th Virginia Regiment
12th Virginia Regiment
The 12th Virginia Regiment was raised on September 16, 1776 at Williamsburg, Virginia for service with the Continental Army. The regiment saw action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Siege of Charleston...
. On 29 September 1777 he became a Lieutenant-Colonel of the 6th Virginia. He transferred to the 2nd Virginia on 14 September 1778, and resigned as a colonel on 7 December 1779. Because of his service he was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
.
After the war Simms practiced law in Alexandria, Virginia. He represented Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
in 1785, 1786, 1792, and 1796, and was a delegate in the Virginia Ratifying Convention
Virginia Ratifying Convention
The Virginia Ratifying Convention was a convention of 168 delegates from Virginia who met in 1788 to ratify or reject the United States Constitution, which had been drafted at the Philadelphia Convention the previous year.The Convention met and deliberated from June 2 through June 27 in Richmond...
in 1788 that ratified the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. He served on the committee that recommended amendments to the Constitution. In 1799, he successfully defended a land claim in the United States Supreme Court case Irvine v. Sims's Lessee
Irvine v. Sims's Lessee
Sims's Lessee v. Irvine, 3 U.S. 425 , is an early United States Supreme Court case about conflicting land claims. General William Irvine had been granted Montour's Island by Pennsylvania for his service in the American Revolutionary War, but the island was also claimed by Charles Simms of Virginia...
; his last name was misspelled in the official court records.
While serving as mayor of Alexandria in 1814 he surrendered the town to the British. While censured for his actions he was later exonerated.
During the course of his adult life he was a Mason as well as an acquaintance and associate of President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Simms served as a pall bearer at Washington's funeral along with Dennis Ramsay, William Payne, George Gilpin, Philip Marsteller and Charles Little. All were colonels in the Revolution and had served Washington. They also were all Masons and all but one were members of the Masonic Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22.
Col. Simms married Nancy Ann Douglass, daughter of Major William Douglass and Catherine Van Buskirk, on 15 Dec 1778 in Trenton, New Jersey. To this marriage were born eight children. Simms died on 29 Aug 1819 in Alexandria, Virginia, and was buried with military and Masonic honors on 31 Aug 1819. He is buried at Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)
Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)
Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, is an Episcopal church built from 1767 to 1773 by John Carlyle.The church was designed by James Wren in the colonial style, and frequented by such notables as George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Philip Richard Fendall I...
Cemetery, Alexandria.