James Innes (North Carolina)

James Innes was a military commander and political figure in the Province of North Carolina who led troops both at home and abroad in the service of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Innes was given command of a company of North Carolinas provincial soldiers during the War of Jenkins Ear, and served as CommanderinChief of all colonial soldiers in the Ohio River Valley in 1754 during the French and Indian War. After resigning his commission in 1756, Innes retired to his home on the Cape Fear River. A bequest made by Innes upon his death lead to the establishment of Innes Academy in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Innes was born around 1700 in the Scottish Highlands. In 1732, Innes purchased 320 acres on the Cape Fear River in what is now Bladen County, North Carolina. In or about 1733, he received an additional grant of 640 acres . Shortly after Innes arrival in North Carolina, Governor Gabriel Johnston appointed him as a justice for New Hanover County, and tried unsuccessfully to appoint Innes to his council.

Source: Wikipedia