Mississippi Territory

This U.S. 3¢ stamp commemorates the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Mississippi Territory. The stamp pictures an outline of the territory, the state as it is today, the seal of the Mississippi Territory, and Governor Winthrop Sargent, the territory’s first governor.

Winthrop Sargent (1753-1820) was the First Governor of the Mississippi Territory. Winthrop Sargent was born into a prominent family in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Sargent attended Harvard before serving in the Continental Army, where he achieved the rank of major. As secretary of the Ohio Company he was one of the founders of Marietta, Ohio. Sargent served as Secretary of the Northwest Territory, and was twice wounded during a losing battle against Indians at Fort Recovery in 1791.

President John Adams appointed Sargent the first governor of the Mississippi Territory in 1798. The capital city was Natchez where this cover was postmarked on the first day of issue of this stamp on 7.4.1948. Well educated and a skilled leader, Sargent made many contributions to the Mississippi Territory, including authoring its legal code. However, he was not popular with the people, nor was he particularly powerful politically. When Thomas Jefferson was elected in 1801, he removed Sargent from office.

Sargent chose to remain near Natchez, and he became a cotton planter. In 1820, three years after Mississippi achieved statehood, he decided to move to Philadelphia. Sargent died during the voyage to Pennsylvania.

And Yes! I have been quite clumsy here, in trying to blank out the recipients name and address :-((