Christopher Greenup
Kentucky’s 3rd Governor
Greenup County and the town of Greenup were named after Christopher Greenup, Kentucky’s 3rd Governor.
He was born around 1750 and possibly in Fairfax County, Virginia. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Witten) Greenup. Very little is known about his childhood. His early education was at the local schools. He studied surveying and law under Colonel Charles Binns.
During the Revolutionary War, he served as a lieutenant on the Continental Line and later was commissioned colonel in the Virginia militia.
In 1781, Greenup traveled to the area now known as Lincoln County, KY where he was a surveyor and land speculator. He was admitted to practice law in 1782 and admitted to the bar in 1783. He also served as clerk of the district court at Harrodsburg from 1785-1792. He was one of the original trustees of Transylvania Seminary in Lexington, KY. The seminary is now Transylvania University.
Greenup entered politics in 1785. His first elected position was to represent Fayette County as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. During this time, he was on a committee with Benjamin Logan and James Garrard. They were future Kentucky Governor opponents. The committee’s job was to divide up the future state into counties. They created Bourbon, Madison, and Mercer counties bringing KY county total to seven.
Greenup served as clerk of the first KY statehood convention in 1784 and the following conventions in 1785 and 1788.
On July 9, 1787, he returned to Virginia and married Mary Catherine "Cathy" Pope of Hanover County, VA. They had two children – Nancy and William.
Greenup held many offices. Some were: (2) U.S. House of Representatives from 1792 to 1797, (2) Kentucky House of Representatives in 1798, (3) Clerk of the Kentucky State Senate from 1799 to 1802, and (4) the Frankfort circuit court in 1802.
Greenup ran for governor in 1800. He was defeated by James Garrard. Benjamin Logan and Thomas Todd were also on the ticket. Garrard nominated Greenup to be Kentucky’s Secretary of State but Greenup declined because of his future plans to pursue the governorship.
Greenup was very popular among the people of Kentucky. He ran unopposed and won the election to be KY’s governor in 1804. During his term the Bank of Kentucky was organized, a canal was planned near the falls in Louisville, commercial prospects were developed coinciding with the opening of U.S. navigation on the Mississippi River, and the appointment of honest administrators in key governmental positions was endorsed. However, many of Greenup’s proposals, legislation, and agenda were not passed. Provisions for public education were not addressed and remained unsupported for many years.
At one point Greenup was rumored to be involved in the Aaron Burr conspiracy. He defended himself to prove his innocence and held his high reputation in the state. He organized Kentucky’s militia to defend the state if anything transpired from the Burr conspiracy.
In 1808, he was the presidential elector on the Madison and Clinton ticket. After completing his term he returned to his legal career and served as the Franklin County Justice of the Peace. During his time in political office he corresponded with Thomas Jeffereson and James Madison.
Governor Christopher Greenup died on April 27, 1818 at the age of 68 at the Blue Lick Springs Resort for the treatment of rheumatism. He was buried in the State Cemetery in Frankfort, KY.
In summary, Christopher Greenup was not considered a great speaker so he had to rely on honesty and loyal actions to build a trusting reputation that allowed him to be a successful politician and a popular one as indicated by running for governor unopposed.
Greenup County is named after Kentucky's 3rd Governor.
