A graduate of William and Mary and the original member of the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity, in 1776. He was aide de camp to General Washington during the Rev. War. In 1787 he began construction of the "Belle Grove" mansion located on the famous Shenandoah Pike
between Strasburg and Middletown in Virginia. President James Madison took refuge at "Belle Grove" when the British captured Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.