Spotswood, Alexander (1676-1740), was a lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia. He took office in 1710. He tried to regulate the fur trade with the Indians, and he favored the inspection of tobacco to prevent the export of inferior goods. Spotswood tried to protect the colony from Indian raids. He encouraged settlement along the colony’s western frontier and led several expeditions over the Blue Ridge Mountains. He quarreled with the council of the Virginia colony over many of his policies. He acquired an estate of about 85,000 acres (34,400 hectares) in Spotsylvania County, and he retired there after being removed as lieutenant governor in 1722. Spotswood was born in Tangier, Morocco.
