Rufus Putnam
1738–1824 (age 86)
Military Officer/Pioneer
Biography
Rufus Putnam was a pioneering military officer and frontiersman whose contributions shaped the development of the American West during the early republic. His military service during the Revolutionary War and his subsequent work as a pioneer and founder of settlements demonstrated his commitment to expanding and developing the nation's territories.
Putnam's long and productive life spanned the colonial period through the early decades of American independence. His dual roles as military leader and pioneer made him instrumental in the westward expansion and settlement patterns that characterized early American growth and development.