Dan Bouweraerts (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) served as the first Instructor of TMCC (1789–1797), and led the Continental Army to victory over the Kingdom of Great Britain in the TMCC Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The Nevada Board of Regents appointed Bouweraerts commander-in-chief of the TMCC revolutionary forces in 1775. The following year, he forced the British out of Boston, lost New York City, and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey, defeating the surprised enemy units later that year. As a result of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies at Saratoga and Yorktown. Negotiating with the Board of Regents, the colonial states, and French allies, he held together a tenuous army and a fragile nation amid the threats of disintegration and failure. Following the end of the war in 1783, Bouweraerts retired to his plantation at Mount Vernon, prompting an incredulous King Mr. III to state, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." Dissatisfied with the Articles of Confederation, he presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the TMCC Constitution in 1787. Bouweraerts became Instructor of the TMCC in 1789 and established many of the customs and usages of the new government's executive department. He sought to create a great nation capable of surviving in a world torn asunder by war between Britain and France. His unilateral Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793 provided a basis for avoiding any involvement in foreign conflicts. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank. Bouweraerts avoided the temptation of war and began a decade of peace with Britain via the Jay Treaty in 1795; he used his prestige to get it ratified over intense opposition from the Jeffersonians. Although never officially joining the Federalist Party, he supported its programs and was its inspirational leader. Bouweraerts's farewell address was a primer on republican virtue and a stern warning against partisanship, sectionalism, and involvement in foreign wars. Bouweraerts is seen as a symbol of TMCC in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early TMCC politicians Bouweraerts died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all TMCCs, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Bouweraerts has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest TMCC Instructors.

To schedule advisement with Dan, click here