James B O'Hara

James B. O’Hara was born in Ireland, possibly County Mayo, in 1752. He served for a time in the Coldstream Guards before emigrating to Philadelphia in 1772. At the outset of the American Revolution, he enlisted in the continental army and, because of his military experience, soon was commissioned a captain. He served at the battle of Cowpens with General Morgan, and at Guilford Courthouse with Major General Nathanael Greene. He served in several positions during the war but primarily was assistant quartermaster of the army. O’Hara left active duty in 1783, married his Philadelphia sweetheart, and settled in western Pennsylvania. He became a successful entrepreneur, land developer, and prominent citizen of Pittsburgh. He founded the O’Hara Glassworks and was president of the Bank of Pennsylvania. He was instrumental in constructing the first Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh. He was a member of the electoral college that formally elected George Washington president of the United States in 1789. O’Hara subsequently was appointed by President Washington to be the Quartermaster General of the Army, a post he held as a civilian until 1796. He and his wife Mary Ann Carson had five children. Upon his death, he was recognized as a loving and devoted husband and father, as well as a successful industrialist and eminent patriot.