James Garrard (1749–1822) was the second governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804 and the last elected to consecutive terms until 1999. A Revolutionary War veteran, he held several local offices and unsuccessfully tried to exclude slavery from Kentucky's first constitution. His 1796 election as governor exposed ambiguity in the state constitution, prompting another constitutional convention in 1799. As governor, he opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, favored passage of the Kentucky Resolutions, and lobbied for public education, militia and prison reforms, business subsidies, and legislation favorable to debtors. He became the first resident of the state's first governor's mansion when it was completed in 1798. A Democratic-Republican, he applauded the Louisiana Purchase as a means of dealing with the closure of the port at New Orleans to U.S. goods. Garrard, a Baptist minister, was expelled from the church in 1802 when his Secretary of State, Harry Toulmin, persuaded him to adopt some doctrines of Unitarianism. After leaving office, he engaged in agricultural and commercial pursuits. Garrard County, Kentucky, was named in his honor.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Garrard

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1099:

Members of the First Crusade reached Jerusalem and began a five-week siege of the city against the Fatimids. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(1099)

1692:

A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck Port Royal, Jamaica, killing about 2,000 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1692_Jamaica_earthquake

1899:

American Temperance crusader Carrie Nation entered a saloon in Kiowa, Kansas, and proceeded to destroy all the alcoholic beverages with rocks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Nation

1981:

The Israeli Air Force attacked and disabled the Osirak nuclear reactor, assuming it was producing plutonium to further an Iraqi nuclear weapons program. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera

1998:

Three white supremacists murdered African American James Byrd, Jr., by chaining him behind a pick-up truck and dragging him along an asphalt road in Jasper, Texas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd,_Jr.

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

trendite: (slang) A person given to following trends. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trendite

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The world can only be redeemed through action — movement — motion. Uncoerced, unbribed, and unbought, humanity will move toward the light.   --Alice Moore Hubbard https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alice_Moore_Hubbard