Kentucky Colonel—America's First Extra-Official Title

The Honorable Office of the Kentucky Colonel Commission became America's First Official Title of Authority on December 21, 1776 when Governor Patrick Henry, Jr. bestowed the title of "Colonel" to the Honorable John Bowman to head of Kentucky County, Commonwealth of Virginia. Over the next 10 years Kentucky County became nine counties headed by colonels, many Continental Army soldiers and officers were granted land in Kentucky District establishing plantations became known as colonels, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky became a state based on colonels from across the state cooperating together selecting Col. Isaac Shelby as the new governor in 1791, and many of them became senators.

The Kentucky Colonels, Kentucky Colonel, and Kentucky Colonelcy; the People, the Title, and the Office

Our website is now considered the most official authoritative historical and documentary resource for factual information about the Kentucky Colonel (title/person), the Kentucky Colonels (Kentucky Colonel Class/Community), and the original source of information about the Kentucky Colonelcy. Since we restarted in 2021 as Kentucky Colonelcy [kycolonelcy.us] we have been cited repeatedly as a credible source of information about the history, origin, protocol, and archetype of the Kentucky Colonel now included by more than 100 historical research theses and journals. As a Creative Commons International Attribution 4.0 licensed resource the website remains free to use.

As a result of our popularity among academics, researchers, and to maintain a high ethical standards as a website, the editor/publisher of Kentucky Colonelcy is reintroducing the Kentucky Colonel News | News for Kentucky Colonels [news.kycolonelcy.us] under the general policy requirements for publishers compliant with the Trust Project and International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) rNews. The New Kentucky Colonels Handbook will be presented under these same transparency standards as a serialized subscription product of the Kentucky Colonel Authority [kycolonelcy.com ] (our 13 authors and contributors) between March 2026–February 2030. Recently we were informed by multiple researchers that our website is more complete and objective than any other resource including Wikipedia, which is subjectively biased to the supplanted propaganda (revised history) of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels focused on grooming colonels to become philanthropists, drinkers of bourbon, and consumers of their trademark propaganda brand reflecting 1813.

Historical Fact: Governor Isaac Shelby joined in the War of 1812 and began the formation of the Kentucky Volunteers in September 1813. With his volunteers they marched from Kentucky to the Michigan Territory in October.

The Kentucky Colonels, Kentucky Colonel, and Kentucky Colonelcy; the People, the Title, and the Office

New Information is Being Discovered about the Authentic Origins of the Kentucky Colonel

Famous Kentucky Colonels and the First Kentuckians

Kentucky Colonel Culture

Kentucky Colonel News

Kentucky's Pioneer and Founding Archetype

America's Most Popular Title of Honor is Official

Colonel Sanders, recognized as the Most Famous Kentucky Colonel

Kentucky Colonel Glossary of Defined Terms

Disambiguating Kentucky Colonels

New Kentucky Colonel Authority and Documentation

What is a Kentucky Colonel?

Kentucky Colonel Core Facts

The Kentucky Colonel Registry—A Public Record of Civic Authority

Kentucky Colonel Badge and Credential are Symbols of Lawful Recognition

The New Kentucky Colonels Handbook

Governor's Honor Guard Photo

New Information is Being Discovered about the Authentic Origins of the Kentucky Colonel

Since 2020 when the Origin of the Kentucky Colonel starting in 1813 with Charles Todd and Isaac Shelby was busted as a myth and disproven the Secretary of State redacted the erroneous Charles Todd account from Kentucky Colonel history in 2021. Since then we have discovered more than a dozen likely origins of the tradition as an indigenous Kentucky custom. New things are being discovered everyday about the Kentucky Colonel Class and Kentucky Colonelcy, when we find them we document the source and add them to the AI database of facts.

The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses became America's Premier Sporting Event, James C. Nicholson

My Grandmother's Erotic Folktales, Robert Antoni

Wild West Weekly, No. 53, October 23, 1903

Calvin Cobb, Radio Woodworker, Roy Underhill

Kentucky Colonel—New Vintage, Collected Writing of J. Winston Coleman Jr., LL.D., Litt.D.

The Emergence of American English as a Discursive Variety.

A Kentucky Colonels Uniform, Kentucky State Bar Journal 1944-09: Vol 8 Iss 4

Twenty-third Lincoln birthday service, Memorial Hall, Chicago, Sunday, February 12, 1922, 2:30 P.M.. William Eleazar Barton

Symbols of America, Hal Morgan

Kentucky Colonel (Official Emblem and Seal)

Official Seal of the Kentucky ColonelThe Office of the Kentucky Colonel issues its ID Cards and Credentials using this seal and no other.

Famous Kentucky Colonels and the First Kentuckians

We should not confuse famous people who become Kentucky Colonels with the colonels that made the title famous and make the title a true honor to behold. Famous Kentucky Colonels include the first official (government appointed) Kentucky Colonel, John Bowman that commissioned over 100 colonels as the head of Kentucky County in 1777, to Colonel James Pepper, famous for whiskey and horses traveling America by rail in 1877, to Colonel Harland Sanders in 1977 during his twilight years.

Newspaper reporters have clammered about Kentucky Colonels since the middle of the 19th century causing the Kentucky Colonel to become the subject of harsh and sometimes blunt criticism with an envious tone, thousands of newspaper articles appear from 1875-1925 (See Kentucky Colonel Newspaper Articles).

When we performed our initial research we found there were 384 colonels in Kentucky as of 1799, many of them never served in a militia or the American Revolution, some were the sons of Continental Army veterans who inherited land grants becoming plantation owners or that subdivided their property to develop communities or establish agricultural companies growing hemp, corn, tobacco, apples, or breeding horses. By the late 1800s there were about 250 famous colonels associated with Kentucky Colonelcy with whom the title set well, despite the honorable title being presented to more than 1,800 people by 1920.

Being famous already is justification to make someone a Kentucky Colonel, but it does not make that person a Famous Kentucky Colonel. To be called a "Famous Kentucky Colonel" a person must do something noteworthy as a colonel after becoming a Kentucky Colonel or at very least use their title as their moniker to call themselves colonel.

Kentucky Colonel Culture

Kentucky Colonel–Bluegrass Culture Lexington
(Image: Public Domain)

Kentucky Colonel News

January 01, 2026 the Kentucky Colonel Council (Kentucky Colonelcy) otherwise Kentucky Colonels Association, reorganized to become a cooperative publishing company and released "The Kentucky Colonels Handbook" when it entered the Public Domain.

Kentucky's Pioneer and Founding Archetype

Kentucky was originally established and founded in 1775 (before the United States) as the Transylvania Colony with the writing of the "Kentucke Magna Charta" and the establishment of its first laws which continue to endure today. Kentucky is famous today for horses because Daniel Boone insisted on a law promoting the improvement of horse breeds on May 25, 1775, there is also evidence that suggests the Kentucky Magna Charta helped form the basis for the Declaration of Independence and several state constitutions. Approximately half of Kentucky's 120 counties are named after colonels, making them all Kentucky Famous.

In 1783 the dictionary definition for a "colonel" in America references a person that is the "head of a colony" from the Latin 'colonialis', it could also mean the head of a company or county; and secondarily was an honorary rank in charge for the English military. Colonels in America were known to be capable of financing and overseeing whatever they were doing, they were usually native born colonists (their commission) privately or on the behalf of the government. The title of "colonel" during the colonial era it was not presumed the person was in the militia, instead it was assumed that the person was a well-to-do, older, civil, and established person in-charge; a perfect Kentucky Gentleman.

Kentucky Colonel - Daniel Boone, painting by Chester Harding from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Colonel Daniel Boone — Pioneer, Statesman, and Symbol of the American Frontier This 1820 portrait by Chester Harding is the only known likeness of Daniel Boone captured from life, completed at Boone’s Missouri home in the final year of his life. Boone, both a historical figure and a national legend, was regarded as the most iconic living American before the War of 1812. His legacy as a frontier leader and early Kentucky Colonel became emblematic of the nation’s pioneer spirit.

America's Most Popular Title of Honor is Official

All research queries in the databases of hundreds of libraries, newspapers and texts indicate that the term "Kentucky Colonel" was created and defined in England and Ireland in the 1820s and journalists applied the term as a noun in 1833 to describe the "type of colonel" when they described Col. Nimrod Wildfire in reviews of "The Kentuckian, or A Trip to New York" after its debut in England before coming to New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Obviously the title has grown in popularity, since then nearly everyone who is someone or has become well-known in Kentucky has become a Kentucky Colonel since the practice was officially adopted by the Office of the Governor in 1875.

One of the first actual honorary commissions of the Kentucky Colonel Title was bestowed in 1876 to Henry Watterson who was invested as the editor-in-chief of the Louisville Courier newspaper and later as a colonel became a congressman. Col. Henry Watterson is frequently cited as the archetype for the "real-living" Kentucky Colonel until 1925 as an articulate and witty Southern gentleman, Watterson is also listed as a member of the Kentucky Colonels Association in 1930, (see the 'original' Kentucky Colonels Handbook).

During Watterson's time there were about 100 other Kentucky Colonels that are mentioned multiple times by the national news media and in literature through 1936 that actually understood the Honorable Office of the Kentucky Colonelcy. In 1933 Governor Ruby Laffoon, broke from the script and playbook making the Kentucky Colonelcy a vacated militia order that made the title a rank, reinventing the who, what, why, and how of the Kentucky Colonel Commission was until it was cancelled in 1936 by the Attorney General. Although the 17,000 commissions that were cancelled were reinstated the following month as a common-law practice at the pleasure of the governor, the effect it had on Kentucky Colonels was significant with no new colonels being created for several years.

Colonel Sanders, recognized as the Most Famous Kentucky Colonel

At least until the early 1950s when Col. Harland Sanders was commissioned a second time, armed with all the knowledge, secrets, and wisdom of what made the title "Kentucky Colonel" so significant in business and personal life. Colonel Sanders lived out the role essentially much like the Kentucky Colonel Style (1875–1940) dictated, serving as a well-dressed, stylish iconic goodwill ambassador for Kentucky and for his fried chicken brand. Being a colonel opened most of the doors he knocked on when he began. Col. Sanders never endorsed or promoted the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels despite being entitled to a free membership, the HOKC and KFC maintained their distance from one another. Col. Sanders credited the Kentucky Colonelcy legacy to Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Old Kentucky Charm, Southern Colonialism, the Reconstruction Era, and the book that was printed the year he was born in 1890. One thing is clear, Harland Sanders knew what a Kentucky Colonel was by his 30th birthday, he was not commissioned by happenstance on his 45th birthday by Governor Laffoon or the second time by his friend Governor Lawrence Winchester Wetherby in 1952 when he was 62 years old, Harland Sanders had his mentors and used his position as a Kentucky Colonel with grace and sincerity.

The most famous Kentucky Colonel is undoubtedly Colonel Harland David Sanders.

There should be no doubt that Colonel Harland David Sanders is the most famous Kentucky Colonel. More importantly is that his authority and style remains his own and clearly identifiable as his trademark.

Kentucky Colonel Glossary of Defined Terms

A new controlled vocabulary has emerged due to the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels lawsuits and cease/desist demands made by its law firm since the late 20th century leading up to a Mutually Agreed Permanent Injunction enjoining the editor-in-chief/webmaster from using their trademark. Therefore the controlled vocabulary is necessary. The glossary also lists "The Kentucky Colonels" as a term "noun" introduced to the Public Domain on January 01, 2026. The new Controlled Vocabulary Policy from the Glossary of Defined Terms will be implemented within all our website publications. The Defined Term Set (Glossary) will be linked once or more per defined term, per page, where used to avoid confusion. The permanent URI for the Kentucky Colonel Glossary of Terms is https://news.kycolonelcy.us/p/glossary.html, it is a product of Kentucky Colonel News.

Disambiguating Kentucky Colonels

In 2021 the editor-in-chief and webmaster here was ordered by a US Court to, in essence "disambiguate" his titled works from that of the "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" and their trademark "Kentucky Colonels" as not to cause confusion. As a result the author has had to establish clear legal boundaries to avoid continued litigation. See Origin of the Kentucky Colonel and Disambiguating Kentucky Colonels.

New Kentucky Colonel Authority and Documentation

New documentation has been discovered (historical and official) 1875–1925 and official correspondence 1929–1937 from "The Kentucky Colonels" (papers) also known locally as "Kentucky Colonels Association" was traced back to 1920 and 1907, we have compared the events cited in the letters with newspapers from 1833–1936, state periodicals 1925–1936, and a voluminous online archive collections 1780–1950 from Kentucky libraries. We analyzed literally 5,000 newspaper and magazine articles, we considered the works of other researchers. We have documented roadside historical markers, developed fully cited evidentiary record submitted it under oath before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the copyrighted historical dossier was filed and left entirely unrebutted or contested by the Appellee, remains today as the unrefuted factual timeline introduced by the greater Kentucky Colonel Community. Countless citations, resources, and evidence (historical facts) are being cataloged and concisely organized to be made available online and through the New Kentucky Colonels Handbook which will be published as a subscription serial product beginning March 01, 2026.

What is a Kentucky Colonel?

Kentucky Colonel (ken-ˈtə-kē ˈkər-nəl) is universally defined as:

(Person) An individual who has been duly commissioned by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and granted the honorific civil title of "Colonel." In this sense, a Kentucky colonel is a member of a distinguished civic class of honorees recognized for noteworthy service, leadership, or merit.
(Honorable Title) An honorary civilian commission and public-facing title bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky under the Great Seal of the Commonwealth. It is the highest honor awarded by the state, typically evidenced by a commission certificate or letters patent, and is unrelated to any military rank.
(Historically) A high-ranking civil and military official in the Kentucky District of Virginia (1775–1792) or the early Commonwealth, each County had its colonels (colonial leaders). These individuals—such as Daniel Boone or Richard Henderson—held primary authority for land surveying, establishing law, and organizing the frontier prior to formalized statehood.
(Culturally) A symbolic figure in American literature, marketing, and folklore representing Southern hospitality, integrity, and Kentucky heritage. This includes the "Colonel" archetype often depicted with a white goatee, string tie, and hospitable demeanor.

Kentucky Colonel Core Facts

The first state commissions began in 1875 under James McCreary and were coincidental to the powers demonstrated by Col. Richard Henderson with Daniel Boone (100 years previously) and by Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia to create extra-officio civilian colonels (honorary colonial heads) in 1776 to form governments and work directly under the grace of the governor.

There is no evidence that suggests that a Kentucky Colonel is or ever was a philanthropist, quite the contrary the Colonel was created to establish civil order and bolster colonial development. The governors of the state through letters patent have implicitly made the Kentucky Colonel the state's development official and consular official in every sense. The Kentucky Colonel has always been the Commonwealth's Official Fundraiser.

The Kentucky Colonel Registry—A Public Record of Civic Authority

The Kentucky Colonel Registry™ (will are replacing the "List of Kentucky Colonels" in 2026) is the official historical record and living civic register of individuals recognized as part of the Kentucky Colonel class. Unlike informal directories or honorary rosters maintained by private associations, this registry will now be structured as a public-facing archive of authenticated, culturally in the media, and legally acknowledged colonelships—documented across time, jurisdiction, and historical provenance. It preserves names, precedence, appointment notation, and contextual information for each individual to ensure that the civic legacy of the Kentucky Colonel is neither forgotten nor misrepresented.

The Registry is being based upon primary source materials, authenticated public documents, and verified archival records—including gubernatorial commissions, historical directories, and public domain cultural sources. The registry also incorporates the block chain and URIs. By default all Kentucky Colonels already verified in the Kentucky Colonel List will automatically be included in the Registry.

The registry is not a database of all Kentucky Colonels, the HOKC has compiled a list in conjunction with the Kentucky Department of Libraries (KDLA), however these records do not disclose the nominator, the reason, and other details needed for the registry, it would be excessive to publish a list of 500,000 individuals, the Registry is built to demonstrate up to 10,000 records. Voluntary Registration is viewed as reciprocation and consent between the individual and their official role as an honorary officer (Kentucky Colonel) of the state.

Additionally, the Registry will now function as a licensure and credentialing system for contemporary Kentucky Colonels who choose to affirm their place within this historic colonial tradition by using their title as did Colonel Harland Sanders and several others that endeared the title as their moniker. By registering, individuals will receive formal acknowledgment of their status as part of the recognized civil class of Kentucky Colonels, statewide by county, nationwide by city and state, and internationally by city and country. They become part of a documented continuum that stretches from Boone and Shelby to the present day—we aim to be an inclusive, peer-driven Congress of Kentucky Colonels that maintains fidelity to history while advancing a cooperative civic future.

Kentucky Colonel Badge and Credential are Symbols of Lawful Recognition

In continuation of the Kentucky Colonel’s historical role as a civil leader and community dignitary, the Kentucky Colonel Credential and the Kentucky Colonel Badge serve as modern, verifiable acknowledgments of title and lawful distinction. These instruments are not decorative novelties; they are based upon established precedents in civic recognition, peer authenticated, and blockchained—akin to contemporary mayoral, judicial, and gubernatorial insignia and identification issued at the state level for formal identity verification and public representation.

The Kentucky Colonel Badge™ 🥇 is modeled on early 20th-century insignia, most notably the silver six-point star issued to colonels during the Progressive Era (c.1907-1929), as featured in official regalia, news photography, and state press. It is designed to visually restore the dignity of the commission without mimicry or theatrical embellishment. The badge affirms not only personal honor but also historical continuity with those who once held civil, diplomatic, and public trust under the authority of Kentucky’s governors.

The Kentucky Colonel Credential™ 🪪 now replaces earlier forms of informal identification and the Kentucky Colonel Identification Card (2021-2023) by offering a recognized title license issued through the Registry. It certifies that the individual has voluntarily acknowledged the responsibilities, rights, and historic office of the Kentucky Colonel. Each credential reflects the lawful standing of the registrant within a historically valid framework. While separate from commercial or philanthropic ventures, the Credential operates as an official civic record of the individual’s standing, echoing the original purpose of colonel appointments under Boone, Henderson, Bowman, and Shelby—recognition of one’s public usefulness, honorable conduct, and constructive influence in society.

Kentucky Colonel Badge (Two-Metal Prototype Model)

No badge of honor is greater than the Kentucky Colonel Title. Get a Kentucky Colonel Badge in 2026. Colonels are encouraged to design and produce their own memorabilia and collectibles to fully benefit from the privileges of the office.

The New Kentucky Colonels Handbook

The 33+ chapter nonfiction handbook is being printed from the serial publication for the 100th anniversary of the organization on May 23, 2030, not too different from what Opie Read did from 1885–1890 in the Arkansas Traveler when he finally printed the best-selling novel "A Kentucky Colonel" in 1890 from his periodical series that began two years earlier. The biggest difference is that the first novel by Opie Read was a fictional account, our book will focus on what makes being a Kentucky Colonel so special without regard for recent governors making so many of them once they forgot why they were making them.

Download and Read "The Kentucky Colonels Handbook" 1930 (Original PDF);
Preview the "New Kentucky Colonels Handbook" (Live Document) March 01, 2026
Get Listed in the "New Kentucky Colonels Handbook" by supporting this publication.
Contact the Kentucky Colonel Council about submitting content as a PDF or Image.

Governor W.O. Bradley posing with 12 Kentucky Colonels at the State Capitol.

Photograph of Governor "Colonel" William O. Bradley with twelve of his Kentucky Colonels in 1898.

Governor's Honor Guard Photo

About this Image: Original photograph of twelve of the ninety-seven individuals that Governor Bradley personally recognized as Kentucky Colonels who were congressmen, senators, lawyers, newspaper editors, and other professionals. This group was special because they were paid a salary and worked at the capitol keeping the governor safe through the end of his term in 1899.

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