farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician
1737 CE
to 1789 CE
Ethan Allen (January 21, 1738 [O.S.
January 10, 1737] – February 12, 1789) is a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician.
He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S. state of Vermont, and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga early in the American Revolutionary War.
Born in rural Connecticut, Allen has a frontier upbringing but also receives an education that includes some philosophical teachings.
In the late 1760s, he becomes interested in the New Hampshire Grants, buying land there and becoming embroiled in the legal disputes surrounding the territory.
Legal setbacks lead to the formation of the Green Mountain Boys, whom Allen leads in a campaign of intimidation and property destruction to drive New York settlers from the Grants.
When the American Revolutionary War breaks out, Allen and the Boys seize the initiative and capture Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.
In September 1775, Allen leads a failed attempt on Montreal that results in his capture by British authorities.
First imprisoned aboard Royal Navy ships, he is paroled in New York City, and finally released in a prisoner exchange in 1778.
Upon his release, Allen returns to the Grants, which had declared independence in 1777, and resumes political activity in the territory.
In addition to continuing resistance to New York's attempts to assert control over the territory, Allen is active in efforts by Vermont's leadership for recognition by Congress, and he participates in controversial negotiations with the British over the possibility of Vermont becoming a separate British province.
Allen writes accounts of his exploits in the war that are widely read in the 19th century, as well as philosophical treatises and documents relating to the politics of Vermont's formation.
His business dealings include successful farming operations, one of Connecticut's early iron works, and land speculation in the Vermont territory.
Land purchased by Allen and his brothers include tracts of land that eventually become Burlington, Vermont.
