John Taliaferro (1768 – August 12, 1852) was a 19th century politician, lawyer and librarian from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, serving several non-consecutive terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

in the early 19th century.

Early life and education

John Taliaferro was born in 1768 on "Hays" near

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...

, to Elizabeth (née Garnett) and John Taliaferro. He attended a private school. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing practice in Fredericksburg.

Career

Taliaferro was elected a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 1800, serving from March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1803. In 1805, he was a presidential elector for the Jefferson ticket. In 1811 he was elected again and served from December 2, 1811, to March 3, 1813. His seat was at first declared for his opponent, John Hungerford, but after a lengthy investigation and official rulings as to the legitimacy of the election, Taliaferro was eventually awarded the seat. The initial House committee ruled in Hungerford's favor, but upon review the House itself decided that many ineligible voters had voted, which resulted in Hungerford's removal from office, as the resulting vote tally from the election gave Taliferro a majority of 121 votes. In 1821, he was a presidential elector for the Monroe ticket. In 1823 Taliaferro was elected to the House a third time, originally to fill a vacancy as a Crawford Republican, Adams Republican and

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

. He served from April 8, 1824, to March 3, 1831. Taliferro's name is listed as the author of an anti-Jackson handbill distributed during the campaign of 1828. The handbill is called "Supplemental account of some of the bloody deeds of General Jackson" and describes itself as a supplement to the

Coffin Handbills The Coffin Handbills were a series of pamphlets attacking Andrew Jackson during the 1828 United States presidential election. Jackson was running against incumbent John Quincy Adams. The campaign featured multiple attacks on the character and pe ...

. In it, Jackson is accused of "atrocious and unnatural acts," including eating mercilessly-slaughtered Indians for breakfast. Taliferro served in the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829–1830 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829–1830 was a constitutional convention for the U.S. state, state of Virginia, held in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond from October 5, 1829, to January 15, 1830. Background and composition Almost imme ...

. He was elected as one of four delegates from a state Senate district of his home county in the Northern Neck, King George County, including Westmoreland, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, Stafford and Prince William Counties. Pulliam 1901, p. 71, 82 Elected a fourth time in 1834, he ran as an

and Whig, serving from March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1843. He was chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions from 1839 to 1843. Taliaferro worked as a librarian at the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

from 1850 to his death.

Personal life

Taliaferro died at his farm "Hagley" near Fredericksburg on August 12, 1852. He was interred on the property.

References

Bibliography

* 1768 births 1852 deaths Virginia lawyers Virginia Whigs Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Virginia National Republicans Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Virginia-Representative-stub