James Potter James Potter ( 1729 – 1789 ) was a soldier , farmer and politician from Colonial - and Revolutionary - era Pennsylvania . He rose to the rank of brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia during the Revolutionary War , and served as Vice - President of Pennsylvania , 1781 - 1782 . Family and early life . James Potter was of Scots descent , ( born in County Tyrone , Ireland ) . He came to Colonial America with his father , John Potter , in 1741 , and the family settled in Cumberland County , Pennsylvania , where his father became high sheriff in 1750 . His first wife was Elizabeth Cathcart of Philadelphia , and his second wife was Mary Patterson Chambers , daughter of James Patterson of Mifflin County . His daughter Martha was married to Andrew Gregg . Military career . As a militia lieutenant for Northumberland County , where he made his home , James Potter took part in the Kittanning Expedition during the French and Indian War and reached the rank of lieutenant - colonel by the end of the war . He also served during Pontiac ' s Rebellion . In 1776 , he served as a colonel and as a member of the first Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention . During the American Revolutionary War , he led militia troops at the battles of Trenton , Princeton , Brandywine and Germantown . In April 1777 , he was promoted to brigadier - general of the Pennsylvania militia . In 1777 , with the troops under his command in the counties of Philadelphia , Chester , and Delaware , he obtained important information for George Washington , and prevented supplies from reaching the enemy . On 11 December , while the army under Washington was on its way to Valley Forge , after part of it had crossed the Schuylkill River at Matson ' s Ford , it was found that the enemy under Cornwallis were in force on the other side . " They were met , " writes Washington , " by General Potter , with part of the Pennsylvania Militia , who behaved with great bravery , and gave them every possible opposition until he was obliged to retreat from their superior numbers . " On this same day a group of Pennsylvania Militia under the command of General Potter defended the home of Thomas Wynne of Blockley from a band of British marauders . The graves of three British soldiers killed are on the Wynnestay property . After this day of service Potter took a leave of absence to care for his sick wife . Accompanying General Potter through the Revolutionary War was his servant Hero Wade . Potter ' s service , which had been effective at interdicting trade and trafficking between the countryside and British - occupied Philadelphia , was missed . In the spring of 1778 , Washington wrote from Valley Forge : " If the state of General Potter ' s affairs will admit of his returning to the army , I shall be exceedingly glad to see him , as his activity and vigilance have been much wanted during the winter . " Potter eventually returned to service in late May 1778 , but the role of eastern Pennsylvania in the conflict declined after the British left Philadelphia for New York in June . Farming and land development . When not engaged in military action Potter was a farmer . Before the Revolution he was involved in opening former Indian territories to European settlement , and warranted a large tract of such land for his own use . Political life . In 1780 , Potter was elected to Pennsylvania ' s Council of Censors or Supreme Executive Council . In that year he lost a Vice - Presidential election to William Moore , earning only six of the sixty votes cast . ( The position of Vice - President is analogous to the modern office of Lieutenant Governor . ) However , the following year , on 14 November 1781 , he was elected to the Vice - Presidency , earning thirty eight votes to James Ewing ' s twenty eight . But on 7 November 1782 , he lost both the Presidential race to John Dickinson ( earning only thirty two votes to Dickinson ' s forty one ) and the Vice - Presidential race to James Ewing ( earning thirty four votes to Ewing ' s thirty nine ) . During his Vice - Presidential term he served as an " ex officio " member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania . Potter was named a major - general of the militia in 1782 , and , in 1785 , became deputy surveyor in Northumberland County . Death and legacy . James Potter died near Greencastle , Franklin County , Pennsylvania in 1789 as the result of a construction injury during a barn raising in Penns Valley . He left Penns Valley and travelled to Greencastle , seeking medical help from his family doctor . His oldest daughter also lived there . He was a resident of Mifflin County at his death , and was one of Pennsylvania ' s largest landowners . The area of his plantation is now in Centre County . The Potter - Allison Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 . Several place names in Pennsylvania , such as Potter County and Potters Mills ( in Centre County ) , were given in his honor . A Pennsylvania Historical Marker near Potters Mills commemorates a Revolutionary - era fort built by General Potter . The marker was erected along State Route 144 in 1947 . Its text reads : Potter ' s Fort Built 1777 by Gen . James Potter . A stockaded fort refuge for the settlers of the valley region . The site is on the nearby rise .