James Kilbourne

James Kilbourne (October 19, 1770 – April 9, 1850) was an American surveyor, War of 1812 veteran, politician from Ohio, and Episcopalian clergyman who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817. He was born in New Britain in the Connecticut Colony, then a part of British North America. His family traced its ancestry to Yorkshire, England, from which his forebears had emigrated to the American colonies. Raised in New England during the final decades of colonial rule and the early years of the new republic, Kilbourne came of age in a period of rapid territorial expansion and political change that would shape his later career in the West.

In 1803 Kilbourne moved his family from Connecticut to the Northwest Territory, settling in what would become the state of Ohio. That same year he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio, laying out the town and helping to organize its civic and religious institutions. A committed Episcopalian, he played a central role in establishing the church in the new community. In 1804 a group he led founded St. John’s Episcopal Church in Worthington, which became one of the earliest Episcopal congregations in the region and reflected his dual vocation as both community leader and clergyman. His prominence in the developing territory also led to his selection as a trustee of Ohio University, a position he held from 1804 to 1820, during which he helped guide one of the first institutions of higher learning in the state.

Kilbourne’s skills as a surveyor and his familiarity with the frontier brought him into federal service. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands, a post of considerable importance as the federal government organized and sold lands in the Northwest Territory and the young state of Ohio. His work contributed to the orderly settlement and development of the region, and it reinforced his standing as a leading figure in central Ohio. When the War of 1812 broke out, Kilbourne further demonstrated his public service by joining the military effort. He served as a colonel of a frontier regiment, responsible for the defense of the Ohio frontier during the conflict with Great Britain and its Native American allies, and thereby gained recognition as a War of 1812 veteran.

Building on his local prominence and public service, Kilbourne entered national politics as a member of the Republican Party, then commonly known as the Democratic-Republican Party. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio’s fifth congressional district. He served two consecutive terms in Congress from 1813 to 1817, a period that encompassed the latter part of the War of 1812 and the early postwar years. In the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, taking part in the democratic governance of the expanding republic and representing the interests of his Ohio constituents in debates over war, finance, and national development.

Kilbourne remained active in public affairs in Ohio after leaving Congress. In the 1820 presidential election he served as an Ohio presidential elector for James Monroe, supporting the Democratic-Republican administration during the so‑called “Era of Good Feelings.” He also continued his legislative career at the state level, serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1823, 1824, 1838, and 1839. Through these terms in the state legislature, he contributed to shaping Ohio’s laws and institutions during a period of rapid growth and internal improvement, while maintaining his longstanding involvement in local civic and religious life in Worthington.

In his later years, Kilbourne remained a respected elder statesman and community leader in Worthington. His family continued his tradition of public service and engagement with frontier development; he was the father of Byron Kilbourn, also a surveyor, who became a founder and later mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, playing a major role in the growth of that city. James Kilbourne died on April 9, 1850, in Worthington, Ohio, at the age of 79. His legacy endured in the community he founded and in the institutions he helped establish. In 1991, Worthington Kilbourne High School and Kilbourne Middle School, both in the Worthington City School District, were named in his honor, reflecting the lasting impact of his contributions to the city and to the state of Ohio.