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[Page 121]
Morrow, John, elected to the ninth and tenth congresses (March 4,
1805-March 3, 1809).
[Page 121]
Morton, Jeremiah, born in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania county,
Virginia; attended William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia; studied law, was admitted to
the bar, and practiced in Raccoon Ford, Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-first
congress (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1853); unsuccessful candidate for reëlection to the
thirty-second congress; died in Lessland, Orange county, Virginia, November 28, 1878.
[Page 121]
Nelson, Hugh, born at Yorktown, Virginia, September 30, 1789 son of
Governor Thomas and Lucy (Grymes) Nelson, He was graduated from William and Mary College in 1780;
was a member of the Virginia house of representatives and became speaker; served for a time as
judge of the general court. In 1809 he was a presidential elector on the Pinckney ticket, and two
years later was elected to congress as a republican, and by successive reëlections served
from 1811 to 1823, when he resigned to accept the ministry to Spain, in which he served to
November 23, 1824. He married Eliza, only child of Francis and Mildred (Walker) Kinloch, of
Charleston, South Carolina. He died at Belvoir, Albemarle county, Virginia, March 18, 1836.
[Page 121]
Nelson, Thomas Manduit, born in Oak Hill, Mecklenburg county,
Virginia, September 27, 1782; attended the common schools; captain of the Tenth Regiment Infantry
and major of the Thirtieth and Eighteenth infantries in the war of 1812; after the war reduced to
captain, and resigned his commission, May 15, 1815; elected as a Republican to the fourteenth
congress. to fill vacancy caused by the death of Thomas Gholson; reëlected to the fifteenth
congress, and served from December 4, 1816, to March 3, 1819; declined a reëlection; died
near Columbus, Georgia, November 10, 1853.
[Pages 121-122]
Neville, Joseph, born in 1730; served in revolutionary army. In
1782 he was associated with Col. Alexander McLean, of Pennsylvania, in settling by survey the
longstanding dispute over the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, in 1782 completing
their work to the southwest corner of Pennsylvania; in 1784 their work was tested and corrected
by astronomical observations and permanently marked, and in 1849 their surveys were reviewed and
found to be substantially correct. This was the beginning of what came to be known as "Mason and
Dixon's Line." Joseph Neville served in the third congress; he died in Hardy county, Virginia,
March 4, 1819.
[Page 122]
New, Anthony, born in Gloucester county, Virginia, in 1747;
completed preparatory studies; studied and practiced law; colonel in the revolutionary army;
elected as a Republican from Virginia to the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1805); moved to Kentucky and located in Elkton; elected as a
Republican from Kentucky to the twelfth congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813), fifteenth
congress (March 4, 1817-March 3, 1819), and seventeenth congress (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1823);
died in Todd county, Kentucky, March 2, 1833.
[Page 122]
Newman, Alexander, born near Orange, Virginia, October 5, 1804;
pursued an academic course; held several local offices; elected to the Virginia legislature in
1836; postmaster of Wheeling, 1845-1849, when he resigned; elected to the thirty-first congress,
but died before the convening of congress, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1849.
[Page 122]
Newton, Thomas, Jr., born in Norfolk, Virginia, November 21, 1768,
son of Thomas Newton and Amy, his wife, daughter of John Hutchings; completed preparatory
studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar; commenced practice in Norfolk; held several
local offices; elected as a Republican to the seventh and to the thirteen succeeding congresses
(March 4, 1801-March 3, 1829); presented credentials as member-elect to the twenty-first
congress, but the election was successfully contested by George Loyall, who took the seat March
9, 1830; reëlected to the twenty-second congress (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1883); died in
Norfolk, Virginia, August 5, 1847.
[Page 122]
Nicholas, John, born in Williamsburg, Virginia, January 19, 1761,
son of Robert Carter Nicholas, and a brother of Wilson Cary Nicholas, governor of Virginia;
another brother, George, was attorney-general of Kentucky, and another, Philip Norborne Nicholas,
was an eminent jurist. John Nicholas shared the talents of his family, and with them influenced
in a striking degree the political history of the time. He attained distinction as a lawyer. In
1793 he was elected to congress as a Republican, and wielded a strong influence in that body
until 1801. In 1803 he removed to Geneva, New York, and devoted himself to large agricultural
interests until 1806, when he was sent to the state senate, in which he served three years. In
1806 he became judge of the court of common pleas of Ontario county, New York, being the first to
hold that office, and served therein until his death in Geneva, December 31, 1819.
[Pages 122-123]
Page, Robert, born at "North End," Gloucester county, Virginia, in
1764, son of Hon. John Page, of that place, member of the council, was born in 1764; was a
student at William and Mary College and left in 1776 to join the American army; was captain; was
elected as a Federalist to the sixth congress (March 4, 1799-March 4, 1801); died at Janeville,
Clarke county, Virginia, January 1, 1840. He married in 1788, Sarah W. Page, daughter of his
uncle, Robert Page, of "Broad Neck," Hanover county, Virginia.
[Page 123]
Parker, Josiah, born at "Macclesfield," Isle of Wight county,
Virginia, May 11, 1751; pursued preparatory studies; member of the county committee of safety in
1775, and of the Virginia convention that held sessions in March, July, and December of that
year; commissioned major in the Fifth Virginia Regiment, February 13, 1776; lieutenant-colonel,
July 28, 1777, and colonel, April 1, 1778; served under Gen. Charles Lee in Virginia until the
fall of 1776, when transferred to Washington's army; rendered distinguished service at the
battles of Trenton, Princeton and the Brandywine; resigned from the army July 12, 1778; member of
Virginia house of delegates, 1780-1781; naval officer at Portsmouth, Virginia, 1786; defeated for
delegate to the Virginia convention of 1788; elected to the first six congresses (March 4,
1789-March 3, 1801); died at "Macclesfield," Virginia, March 18, 1810.
[Page 123]
Parker, Richard, born in Richmond, Virginia, December 22, 1810, son
of Richard Elliott Parker, judge of the supreme court of appeals, and Elizabeth Foushee, his
wife; he completed private studies; studied law, and practiced at Berryville, Virginia; held
several local offices, and was elected as a Democrat to the thirty-first congress (March 4,
1849-March 3, 1851); was subsequently appointed judge of the thirteenth circuit, and presided at
the trial of John Brown; was applauded by friend and foe for his impartiality. He married Evelina
Moss.
[Page 123]
Parker, Severn E., native of Northampton county, Virginia; received
a common school training; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced; held several local
offices, and served a number of years as a member of the state house of representatives; elected
to the sixteenth congress (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1821); died in Northampton county, Virginia,
October 21, 1836.
[Page 123]
Patton, John Mercer (q. v.).
[Page 123]
Pegram, John, born in Dinwiddie county, Virginia, November 16,
1773; attended common schools; held various local offices; was a member of the Virginia house of
delegates for many years and of the state senate for eight years; elected to the fifteenth
congress to fill vacancy caused by the death of Peterson Goodwin, and served from November 16,
1818, to March 3, 1819; major-general of state militia in the war of 1812; United States marshal
for the eastern district of Virginia under President Monroe's administration; died in Dinwiddie
county, Virginia, April 8, 1831.
[Page 123]
Pendleton, John Strother, born in Culpeper county, Virginia, March
2, 1802, son of William Pendleton and Anne Strother, his wife; pursued preparatory studies;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Culpeper county; member of the state
legislature several times prior to 1840; chargé d'affaires to Chile, 1841-1844; elected as
a Whig to the twenty-ninth and thirtieth congresses (March 4, 1845-March 3, 1849); chargé
d'affaires to the Argentine Confederation, 1851-1854; at the same time he was also accredited to
Paraguay, and other South American republics; in 1854 he was succeeded by Hon, Joseph Graham; he
died in Culpeper county, Virginia, November 19, 1868.
[Page 124]
Pindall, James, native of Virginia; attended the common schools;
held various local offices; elected as a Federalist to the fifteenth and sixteenth congresses,
and served from March 4, 1817, to 1820, when he resigned.
[Page 124]
Powell, Alfred H., born in Loudoun county, Virginia, March 6, 1781,
son of Col. Leven Powell, and his wife Sarah, daughter of Burr Harrison; was graduated from
Princeton College; studied law with Col. Charles Simms, of Alexandria, was admitted to the bar,
and in 1800 began practice in Winchester, Virginia; served several years as a member of the state
house of delegates; elected to the nineteenth congress (March 4, 1825-March 3, 1827); delegate in
the state constitutional convention of 1830; died in Loudoun county, Virginia, 1831.
[Page 124]
Powell, Cuthbert, born in Alexandria, Virginia, March 4, 1775, son
of Col. Leven Powell and his wife Sarah, daughter of Burr Harrison; completed preparatory
studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Alexandria; mayor of Alexandria;
moved to Loudoun county; held various local offices; elected as a Whig to the thirty-seventh
congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843); died at Longoolen, Loudoun county, Virginia, May 8, 1849.
He married Catherine, daughter of Col. Charles Simms, of Alexandria.
[Page 124]
Powell, Leven, was born in Prince William county, Virginia, in
1737, son of William Powell and Eleanor Peyton, his wife, and grandson of William Powell, of
Maryland, who died in 1715; studied in private schools; was deputy to his uncle, Henry Peyton,
sheriff of Prince William county, married in 1763, Sarah, daughter of Burr Harrison, of
Chappawamsie, and shortly after moved to Loudoun county; engaged in mercantile pursuits; in 1775
was major of a battalion of minute-men and served against Lord Dunmore at Norfolk, Portsmouth and
Hampton; in January, 1777, was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Sixteenth Regiment of Virginia
Continentals, and saw service at White Marsh, near Philadelphia and at Valley Forge; resigned on
account of health in 1778 and returned home; in 1788 was a member of the state convention and
voted for the constitution; in 1796 as presidential elector was the only one from Virginia to
vote for John Adams as President; elected as a Federalist to the sixth congress (March 4,
1799-March 4, 1801); helped to build a turnpike from Alexandria to the upper country; died July
23, 1810, at Bedford Springs, Virginia.
[Page 124]
Powell, Paulus, a native of Virginia; resided in Amherst county,
Virginia; held various local offices; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-first, and to four
succeeding congresses (March 4, 1849-March 3, 1859); defeated for reëlection to the
thirty-sixth congress.
[Pages 124-125]
Preston, Francis, born at "Greenfield," Botetourt county, Virginia,
August 2, 1765, son of William Preston, who became a colonel in the revolutionary army; was
graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1783, and having studied law at that
institution under George Wythe was soon admitted to the bar; practiced in Montgomery, Washington,
and other counties until 1793; member of the state house of delegates and a state senator;
elected to the third and fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1797); at the beginning of the
war of 1812 he enlisted, was appointed colonel of volunteers, and marched with his regiment to
Norfolk; subsequently he was appointed brigadier-general and major-general of militia; after his
service in congress he located in Abingdon, Virginia, and practiced law; married, in 1792, Sarah,
daughter of Coll. William Campbell, who distinguished himself in the battle of King's Mountain;
their sons, William Campbell John Smith, and Thomas Lewis, became prominent, the first as a
legislator and educator, the second as an orator, the third as a legislator and soldier; Gen.
Preston died while on visit to his son, William c. Preston, Columbia, South Carolina, May 25,
1835.
[Page 125]
Preston, William Ballard, born at "Smithfield," Montgomery county,
Virginia, November 25, 1805, son of Governor James Patton Preston (q. v.).; was graduated from William and Mary College in
1823; was graduated from the law school of the University of Virginia, admitted to the bar, and
engaged in practice in 1826; was elected to the Virginia house of delegates and to the state
senate, serving through a number of terms; elected as a Whig to the thirtieth congress (March 4,
1847-March 3, 1849); on March 8, 1849, assumed the portfolio of the navy department, having been
appointed secretary by President Taylor, and he continued in this position until the death of
Gen. Taylor, when he went out of politics and public life; in 1858 a scheme was on foot in
Virginia to open commercial intercourse with France, and a line of steamers was projected for
that purpose; he was sent
to France to promote this scheme, but was obliged to return without achieving success, owing to
the secession of the Southern states; he was elected a member of the Virginia secession
convention in 1861, but he was himself a Union man and opposed the secession movement so long as
there was any use in such opposition; he was elected to the Confederate senate in 1861, and was a
member of that body at the time of his death which occurred in Smithfield, Virginia, November 14,
1862.
[Pages 125-126]
Pryor, Roger Atkinson, born in Dinwiddie county, Virginia, July 19,
1828; was graduated from Hampden-Sidney College in 1845, and from the University of Virginia in
1848; studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1849, and practiced a short time in Petersburg, but
abandoned the law on account of ill health; engaged on the editorial staff of the "Washington
Union" in 1852 and the "Richmond Enquirer" in 1854; appointed special minister to Greece in 1854;
returned home and established "The South" in 1857, and after it had failed was on the staff of
the "Washington States;" elected as a Democrat to the thirty-sixth congress, to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of William O. Goode, and served from December 7, 1859, to March 3, 1861;
served in the Confederate army; member of the Virginia Confederate house of representatives;
captured by the Union troops in November, 1864, and confined in Fort Lafayette, but soon
afterwards released; moved to New York City and practiced law, 1866-1890; delegate in the
Democratic national convention of 1876; judge of the court of common pleas of New York,
1890-1894; justice of the New York supreme court, 1894-1899; retired upon reaching the age limit;
appointed official referee by the state legislature in 1912.
[Page 126]
rives, Francis E., born in Virginia; completed preparatory studies;
elected as a Democrat to the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth congresses (March 4, 1837-March 3,
1841); declined a renomination; died at Littleton, Sussex county, Virginia, November 30, 1861.
[Page 126]
Roane, John, born at "Uppowac," King William county, February 9,
1766, son of John Roane, of Essex county, Virginia; completed preparatory studies; presidential
elector on the Washington ticket; member of the state house of representatives; delegate to the
sate constitutional convention, 1788; elected as a Republican to the eleventh, twelfth and
thirteenth congresses (March 4, 1809-March 3, 1815); and to the twentieth, twenty-first and
twenty-second congresses (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1833); and to the twenty-fourth congress (March
4, 1835-March 3, 1837); died at his residence, "Uppowac," King William county, Virginia, November
15, 1838.
[Page 126]
Robertson, John, born at "Belfield," near Petersburg, Virginia, in
1787, son of William Robertson, merchant, and Elizabeth Bolling, his wife; completed preparatory
studies and was graduated from William and Mary College; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and practiced in Richmond, Virginia; attorney-general of Virginia; elected as a Whig to the
twenty-third congress to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Andrew Stevenson;
reëlected to the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth congresses, and served from December 8,
1834, to March 3, 1839; judge of the circuit court of Virginia for several years; died at "Mount
Athos," near Lynchburg, Virginia, July 5, 1873. He was a brother of Lieutenant-Governor Wyndham
Robertson (q. v.).
[Page 126]
Rutherford, Robert, probably a son of Thomas Rutherford, who
represented Hampshire county in the house of burgesses from 1761 to 1765; was burgess for
Frederick county in 1766-1773, and Berkeley county, 1774-1776; member of the conventions of July
and December, 1775, and May, 1776; elected to the third and fourth congresses (March 4,
1793-March 3. 1808); defeated for reëlection to the fifth congress (see vol. I, p. 318).
[Page 126]
Samuels, Green Berry (q. v.,
under "Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals").
[Page 126]
Seddon, James A. (q. v.).
[Page 126]
Sheffey, Daniel, born in Frederick, Maryland, in 1770; received a
fair education, and learned the trade of shoemaker in his father's shop; at age of twenty-one
settled in Augusta, Virginia, and there followed his trade; afterward studied law, was admitted
to the bar, practiced his profession and was successful; removed to Staunton, Virginia, also
Abbeville, Virginia; served in the house of delegates; elected as a Federalist to the eleventh,
and to the three succeeding congresses (March 4, 1809-March 3, 1817), and took a high rank; his
speech in favor of the renewal of the first bank of the United States was a masterly production;
he was opposed to the war of 1812; in a controversy with John Randolph, the latter said: "The
shoemaker ought not to go behind his last;" Mr Sheffey retorted: "If that gentleman had ever been
on a shoemaker's bench, he would never have left it;" he died at Staunton, Virginia, December 3,
1830.
[Page 127]
Smith, Arthur, born in Isle of Wight county, Virginia, November 15,
1785, descended from Arthur smith, gentleman, who came to Virginia in 1622; was graduated from
William and Mary College; studied law, but did not practice; served in the war of 1812; member of
the state house of delegates; elected to the seventeenth and eighteenth congresses (March 4,
1821-March 3, 1825); died at Smithfield, Virginia, March 30, 1853.
[Page 127]
Smith, Ballard, a representative from Virginia to the fourteenth,
fifteenth and sixteenth congresses (March 4, 1815-March 3, 1821). He was a son of Francis Smith
and Elizabeth Waddey, of Hanover county, and grandson of Dr. John Smith and Elizabeth Ballard;
served as lieutenant in the army during the American revolution.
[Page 127]
Smith, John, native of Virginia; elected to the seventh, and to the
six succeeding congresses (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1815); died in Rockville, Maryland, March,
1836.
[Page 127]
Smith, William, a native of Chesterfield, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; elected to the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth congresses (March 4,
1821-March 3, 1827).
[Page 127]
Smyth, Alexander, born in the Island of Rathlin, Ireland, in 1765;
came to the United States and located in Botetourt county, Virginia, in 1755; completed
preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Abingdon,
Virginia; moved to Wythe county, Virginia; member of the state house of representatives from 1792
to 1808; inspector-general of the army of 1812; resumed the practice of law; again a member of
the state house of delegates; elected to the fifteenth and to the three succeeding congresses
(March 4, 1817-March 3, 1825); reëlected to the twentieth and twenty-first congresses, and
served from March 4, 1827, until his death, in Washington, D. C., April 17, 1830. Smyth county,
formed in 1831, was named for him.
[Page 127]
Snodgrass, John Fryall, born in Berkeley county, Virginia (now West
Virginia), March 2, 1804; completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and began practice in Parkersburg, Virginia; delegate to the state constitutional convention in
1850; elected as a democrat to the thirty-third congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1855); died in
Parkersburg, Virginia, June 5, 1854.
[Page 127]
Steenrod, Lewis, born in Ohio county, Virginia (now West
Virginia), May 27, 1810; attended the common schools; elected to the twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh
and twenty-eighth congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3,1845); died near Wheeling, Ohio county, West
Virginia, October 3, 1862.
[Pages 127-128]
Stephenson, James, born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, March 20,
1764; moved to Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia); volunteer rifleman under Gen. St. Clair
in his Indian expedition in 1791; brigade inspector; member of the state assembly I 1800, 1801,
and 1802; elected as a Federalist to the eighth congress (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1805);
reëlected to the eleventh congress (March 4, 1809-March 3, 1811); again elected to the
seventeenth congress to fill vacancy caused by the death of Thomas Van Swearingen; reëlected
to the eighteenth congress, and served from December 2, 1822, until March 3, 1825; died in
Martinsburg, West Virginia, August 7, 1833.
[Page 128]
Stevenson, Andrew, born in Culpeper county, Virginia, in 1784, son
of Rev. James Stevenson and Frances Arnet Littlepage, his wife; pursued classical studies;
studied law, admitted to the bar, began practice in Richmond, Virginia, and won a prominent place
in his profession; member of the state house of representatives, 1804-1820, where for several
sessions he was speaker, gaining thereby the experience which made his o able a presiding officer
while in the national house; elected as a democrat to the eighteenth, and to the five succeeding
congresses, and served from March 4, 1823, until his resignation, June 2, 1834; served as
speaker, 1827-1834, his occupancy of the speaker's chair covering the stormy time of the contest
over the re-charter of the United States Bank, and even in the greatest heat of partisan strife
no accusation was ever made against his firmness and impartiality; was sent as minister to the
Court of St. James in 1836, and remained until 1841; he than devoted himself to agricultural
pursuits, and to the interests of the University of Virginia, of which he was rector at the time
of his death, which occurred at "Blenheim," in Albemarle county, Virginia, January 25, 1857. He
was a nephew of Gen. Lewis Littlepage (q. v.).
[Page 128]
Stratton, John, native of Accomac county, Virginia; attended the
common schools; elected to the seventh congress (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1803).
[Page 128]
Strother, George F., born in Culpeper county, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; studied law, admitted to the bar, and began practice in Culpeper; elected as
a Democrat to the fifteenth and sixteenth congresses, and served from March 4, 1817, until his
resignation, February 10, 1820; receiver of public moneys in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a son of
French Strother and his wife Lucy, daughter of Robert Coleman French Strother, who was a member
of the convention which met in Williamsburg in May, 1776, served thirty years in the assembly and
was a member of the convention of 1788, voting against the adoption of the constitution (q. v., vol. I, p. 333).
[Page 128]
Strother, James French, born in Culpeper county, Virginia,
September 4, 1811, son of James French Strother and Sally Williams, his wife, daughter of Gen.
James Williams; completed predatory studies and attended St. Louis University; studied law, was
admitted to the bar, and began practice in Culpeper, Virginia; member of speaker; delegate to the
state constitutional convention in 1850; elected as a Whig to the thirty-second congress March 4,
1851-March 3, 1853); died in Culpeper, Virginia, September 21, 1860.
[Pages 128-129]
Stuart, Alexander Hugh Holmes, born in Staunton, Virginia, April 2,
1807, son of Judge Archibald Stuart, a graduate of William and Mary College; Alexander H. H.
Stuart, after having been prepared for a university course, went to William and Mary College for
a year, and then attended the University of Virginia where he took the law course, graduated at
the age of twenty-one, and was admitted to practice at the bar the same year; was in successful;
practice in Staunton when, in 1836, he was elected a member of the lower house of the Virginia
state legislature, and was continuously reëlected until 1839, when he declined to serve;
elected as a Whig to the twenty-seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843); presidential
elector on the Clay ticket in 1844 and the Taylor ticket in 1848; on July 22, 1850, assumed the
office of secretary of the interior, to which he continued until the conclusion of the
administration; was a member of the convention of 1856 which nominated Millard Fillmore for the
presidency, and from 1857 to 1861 was in the Virginia state senate; he was a strong Union man in
sentiment at the outbreak of the civil war and earnestly resisted the secession of his state,
while he was one of the first of the Southern leaders to promote reconciliation and political
agreement after the war; although elected a member of congress in 1865, he was unable to take his
seat on account of the "iron-clad" oath; delegate to the national Union convention in 1866; in
1868 was very active in his opposition and resistance to the objectionable features of the
reconstruction acts; in 1876 was elected rector of the University of Virginia, and, excepting a
period of two years, between 1882 and 1884, he continued to fill that position until 1886, when
he resigned; he was a member of the board of trustees of the Southern educational fund founded by
George Peabody; he was also for many years president of the Virginia Historical Society; died in
Staunton, Virginia, February 13, 1891. Judge Archibald Stuart, his father, was a son of Major
Alexander Stuart, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1733, and grandson of Archibald Stuart, a
Scotch-Irish Presbyterian who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1727, and in 1738 removed to Augusta.
[Page 129]
Stuart, Archibald, born in Lynchburg, Virginia, December 2, 1795;
completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in
Campbell county; served as an officer in the war of 1812; member of the state legislature; member
of the state convention of 1829-1830; resided in Mount Airy, North Carolina; elected as a Whig to
the twenty-fifth congress (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1839); member of the state convention of
1850-1851; died in Patrick county, Virginia, September 20, 1855. He was a son of Judge Alexander
Stuart, and grandson of Major Alexander Stuart, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1773.
[Page 129]
Summers, George W. (q. v.).
[Page 129]
Swearingen, Thomas Van, born near Shepherdstown, West Virginia, May
5, 1784; attended the common schools; elected to the sixteenth and seventeenth congresses, and
served from March 4, 1819, until his death in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, August 19, 1822.
[Pages 129-130]
Taliaferro, John, born at "Hays," King George county, Virginia in
1768, son of John Taliaferro of "Hays," and Elizabeth Garnett, his wife; attended a private
school; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Fredericksburg, Virginia; elected
as a Republican to the seventh congress (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1803); presidential elector on
the Jefferson ticket in 1805; successfully contested the election of John Hungerford to the
twelfth congress, and served him from December 2,
1811, to March 3, 1813; presidential elector on the Monroe ticket in 1821; elected to the
eighteenth congress, to fill vacancy caused by the death of William L. Ball; reëlected to
the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first congresses, and served from April 8, 1824 to March 3,
1831; again elected to the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh
congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1843); librarian of the United States Treasury Department,
1850, until his death at his residence, "Hagley," in King George county, Virginia, August 12,
1852.
[Page 130]
Tate, Magnus, born in Berkeley county, Pennsylvania, in 1760;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced; engaged in agricultural pursuits; appointed
justice of the Berkeley county court, May 19, 1798; sheriff of Berkeley county, 1819-1820; moved
to Virginia; elected to the house of delegates of Virginia, 1797, 1803, 1809 and 1810; elected as
a Federalist to the fourteenth congress (March 4, 1815-March 3, 1817); died near Martinsburg,
Virginia, March 30, 1823.
[Page 13]
Taylor, Robert, born in Orange, Virginia, April 29, 1763, son of
Erasmus Taylor and Jane Moore, his wife; completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted
to the bar, and practiced in Orange, Virginia; held several local officers; member of the state
senate, 1804-1806, and served as speaker; elected to the nineteenth congress (March 4, 1825-March
3, 1827; died on his estate, "Meadow Farm," in Orange county, Virginia, July 3, 1845. He was a
cousin of Gen. Zachary Taylor.
[Page 130]
Taylor, William, native of Alexandria, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Rockingham
county, Virginia; held several local offices; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-eighth and
twenty-ninth congresses, and served from March 4, 1843, until his death in Washington, D. C.,
January 17, 1846.
[Page 130]
Taylor, William P., born in Fredericksburg, Virginia; received a
limited schooling; held several local offices; elected as a Whig to the twenty-third congress
(March 4, 1833-March 3, 1835); unsuccessful candidate for reëlection to the twenty-fourth
congress.
[Page 130]
Thompson, Philip Rootes, born in Culpeper county, Virginia, March
26, 1766; member of the state house of delegates, 1793-1797; elected to the seventh, eighth and
ninth congresses (March 4, 1801-March 3, 1807); died in Kanawha county, Virginia, July 27, 1837.
He was a son of Rev. John Thompson, wh married (first) the widow of Governor Spotswood, and
(second) Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Philip Rootes, of "Rosewall," King and Queen county. Philip
Rootes Thompson was a son by the second marriage.
[Page 130]
Thompson, Robert A., son of Philip Rootes Thompson (q. v.)., born
in Kanawha, Virginia (now West Virginia); completed preparatory studies; held several local
offices; elected as a Democrat to the thirtieth congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1849);
unsuccessful candidate for reëlection to the thirty-first congress; moved to California and
appointed state land commissioner.
[Pages 130-131]
Tredway, William Marshall, born in Prince Edward county, Virginia,
in August, 1807; completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and
practiced; held several local offices; elected as a democrat to the twenty-ninth congress (March
4, 1845-March 3, 1847); unsuccessful candidate for reëlection; judge of the circuit court of
Virginia in 1861; resumed the practice of law in Chatham, Virginia, and died there, May 1, 1896.
[Page 131]
Trezvant, James, a native of Sussex county, Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Jerusalem,
Virginia; attorney-general of Virginia; delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1820;
served in the state house of representatives; elected to the nineteenth, twentieth and
twenty-first congresses (March 4, 1825-March 3, 1831); died in Southampton county, Virginia,
September 2, 1841.
[Page 131]
Trigg, Abram, born in Bedford county, Virginia, son of Abraham
Trigg, who emigrated fro Cornwall, England, about 1710; completed academic studies; held local
offices; delegate to the Virginia convention of 1788 that ratified the Federal constitution;
served as an officer under Gen. Washington in the revolutionary war; elected to the fifth, and to
the five succeeding congresses (March 4, 1797-March 3, 1809); died in Washington, D C., May 17,
1804. He had three brothers — Stephen, who went to Kentucky, as member of the land
commission in 1779, and fell commanding a regiment in the battle of Blue Licks; John (q. v.); and
William, from whom was descended Hon. Connally Findlay Trigg, member of congress (q. v.) and William Robertson Trigg, late of Richmond.
[Page 131]
Trigg, John, born in Bedford county, Virginia, in 1748, son of
Colonel Abraham Trigg; received a liberal schooling; served as a captain in the Virginia militia
during the revolutionary war; member Virginia house of delegates, 1784-1792; member of the
convention to ratify the Federal constitution in 1788; elected to the fifth, and to the three
succeeding congresses, and served from March 4, 1797, until his death in Bedford county,
Virginia, June 28, 1804.
[Page 131]
Tucker, George, born in the town of St. George's, Bermuda, August
20, 1775; descended from George Tucker of Milton-next-Gravesend; came to Virginia about 1787; was
graduated from William and Mary College in 1797; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Lynchburg, Virginia; member of the state house of representatives in 1815; elected as
a Democrat to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth congresses (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1825);
professor in the University of Virginia, 1825-1845; died at "Sherwood," Albemarle county,
Virginia, April 10, 1861.
[Page 131]
Tucker, Henry St. George (q. v.
under "Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals").
[Pages 131-132]
WAlker, Francis, son of Dr. Thomas Walker (q. v.) and Mildred
Thornton, his wife, widow of Nicholas Meriwether, was born at "Castle Hill," Albemarle county,
June 22, 1764, was a magistrate of his county, colonel of the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Virginia
militia, member of the house of delegates and of the third congress of the United States (March
4, 1793-March 3, 1795). He married Jane Byrd, daughter of Gen. Hugh Nelson, and granddaughter of
William Nelson, president of the Virginia council. His children were: Jane Frances, the wife of
Dr. Mann Page, and Judith, the wife of William C. Rives.
[Page 132]
White, Alexander, born in 1739, was a son of Dr. Robert White, a
surgeon in the British navy, who came to Frederick county about the year 1730. He studied law at
the Inner temple, London, in 1762, and in 1763 matriculated at Gray's Inn. In 1783 he was elected
to the house of delegates and became distinguished for his eloquence, serving till 1789, when he
was elected to congress. In this body he served two terms (March 4, 1789-March 4, 1793), being
one of the most active members. He voted for locating the seat of government on the Rappahannock,
and later served as commissioner to arrange for erecting the public buildings in Washington, D C.
He voted against the incorporation of the United States Bank and opposed the Quaker memorial
relating to slavery. He died at Woodville, Frederick county, September 19, 1804.
[Page 132]
White, Francis, a native of Virginia; elected to the thirteenth
congress (March 4, 1813-March 3, 1815).
[Page 132]
Williams, Jared, born in Montgomery county, Maryland, March 4,
1766; pursued classical studies; became a farmer; member of the state house of delegates in 1811
and 1817; elected as a Republican to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth congresses (March
4, 1819-March 3, 1825); presidential elector on the Jackson and Calhoun ticket in 1829; died near
Newton, Virginia, January 2, 1831.
[Page 132]
Wilson, Alexander, native of Virginia; completed preparatory
studies; member of the state legislature; elected to the eighth, ninth and tenth congresses
(March 4, 1803=March 3, 1809).
[Page 132]
Wilson, Edgar Campbell, born in Morgantown, now in West Virginia,
October 18, 1800; completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, June 24,
1822, and practiced in Morgantown; elected as a Whig to the twenty-third congress (March 4,
1833-March 3, 1835); died in Morgantown, Virginia, April 24, 1860.
[Page 132]
Wilson, Thomas, born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, September 11,
1765; studied law in Staunton, Virginia; was admitted to the bar in Morgantown, Virginia,
September 21, 1789; member of the house of delegates; elected as a Federalist to the twelfth
congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813); died in Morgantown, Virginia, January 24, 1826.