Stephen Sayre's career was far more remarkable for its diversity
than for its success. At one time or another, Sayre was a soldier,
merchant, banker, shipbuilder, politician, speculator,
propagandist, diplomat, and inventor. He was also considered by
some, as John Alden relates, ""a wicked schemer, a fool, a madman,
an embezzler, and a traitor."" Following the dizzying course of
Sayre's career, this biography reveals a vast panorama of life,
both high and low, in the era of the American Revolution. Sayre
frequented the polite society of England, Europe, and New York;
twice married into a wealthy English family; and was elected for a
term as sheriff of London. He also consorted with the actress
Sophia Baddeley, one of the most notorious women of the time; was
arrested and confined in the Tower of London for allegedly plotting
to kidnap the king; and spent twenty months in a debtors' prison.
If there was one constant in Sayre's life, it was his involvement
in revolutionary politics. He was a fearless advocate of colonial
rights in England, and after the outbreak of war in America he
traveled to Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia to seek support
for the revolution. Years later, he was an enthusiastic supporter
of France's revolution. Working as an agent for the new French
regime, he tried to secure it financial aid, promoted a scheme to
purchase American weapons for the French army, argued for a French
attack on Spanish Louisiana, and was active in diplomatic efforts
to stave off war between Britain and France. Eventually, the
turmoil of events in Paris drove away even as devoted a supporter
as Sayre. He returned to America, where he continued to argue the
cause of the French Revolution and quickly gained a reputation as
an extremist. Engaging in the politics of the new American
republic, Sayre assailed conservative forces in the nation, in
particular the emerging Federalist party. He devoted much of his
energy in later years to a persistent but unrewarded attempt to
secure a post within the federal government and to somewhat more
successful attempts to obtain payment for his past services to his
country. In time he moved to Virginia to live with his stepson; he
died there in 1818. From the beginning of his career, Stephen Sayre
aspired to wealth, social position, and political influence. At
various points in his life he achieved each of these goals, but
finally they all eluded him. An outstanding patriot, Sayre was far
too erratic in his behavior, far too mercurial a personality ever
to be counted as a father of his country. He is better remembered
as a kind of principled rogue, an adventurer in the service of his
own ambitions and those of his country.
General
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