Sources vary as to McArthur's exact birthdate. It has been given as January 14, 1772 or June 14, 1772. He was born to Scottish immigrants in Dutchess County in the Province of New York, McArthur grew up in western Pennsylvania and later moved to Kentucky, where he was employed as an Indian ranger. McArthur obtained a position with Nathaniel Massie in 1793, and worked with Massie on a surveying expedition in the Northwest Territory. In 1796, he worked with Massie to lay out the new town of Chillicothe, Ohio, which was to become the state capital in 1803. McArthur moved across the Ohio River in 1797 to Chillicothe, where he gained wealth by his land speculations in the Northwest Territory.
Career
McArthur was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 3rd congressional district while serving in the state militia during the War of 1812. He never qualified for office as he preferred to continue serving in the military. He was appointed colonel of Ohio volunteers and was second-in-command to General William Hull at Fort Detroit. He and Colonel Lewis Cass were not present at Detroit when Hull surrendered and were greatly angered to hear that Hull had included both of them in the capitulation. When a British officer notified him of the surrender, McArthur is said to have torn off his epaulettes and broke his sword in a fit of rage, although historians note similar stories were told about other officers as well. The British paroled him and McArthur returned to Ohio. He was appointed a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Shortly thereafter he was placed in charge of the Army of the Northwest following Harrison's resignation. McArthur did not face much action after that, but he was engaged in negotiating treaties with the Indians. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with several Native American tribes. McArthur served intermittently thereafter in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio State Senate. He was elected and served a single term from 1823–1825 in the United States House of Representatives before winning election to the governorship in 1830. McArthur served a single term and did not seek re-election.
Death
McArthur was buried in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, US. The trust established in his will later became the subject of litigation that went before the U.S. Supreme Court in McArthur v. Scott.
