Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney, the former governor of South Carolina, was about to become minister to England when John Trumbull made his portrait for use in a contemplated history painting. Prominent during the American Revolution, Major Pinckney was—along with his older brother Charles—a participant in the ill-fated attempt to recapture Savannah from the British. More significant was his later role as special envoy to Spain, where in 1795 he negotiated a popular treaty benefiting American commerce on the Mississippi River. This portrait remained with descendants until given to the National Portrait Gallery.