John Banister (December 26, 1734 – September 30, 1788) was an American
Founding Father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
, lawyer, planter, and slave owner from
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...
. As a member of the
Second Continental Congress, he assisted in framing the
Articles of Confederation, which became the nation's first constitution in 1781.
Life
The son of John Banister and grandson of
John Baptist Banister the
naturalist, he was educated at
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, admitted on September 27, 1753. Banister served in the
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...
(1765–1769, 1772–1775),
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...
(1776–1778, 1781–1784), and
Second Continental Congress (1778–1779). While a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was a framer of the
Articles of Confederation, which he signed on July 8, 1778. Banister also had served as a member of the
Virginia Convention, which declared Virginia an independent state in 1776. He was appointed the first mayor of Petersburg in 1785.
He was well informed on current affairs and an established writer.
Banister was married three times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Munford in 1755. After her death in 1770, he married Elizabeth "Patsy" Bland, the daughter of
Theodorick Bland of Cawsons
Theodorick Bland (December 2, 1708 – 1784), also known as Theodorick Bland, Sr. or Theodorick Bland of Cawsons, was Virginia planter who served as a member of the first Virginia Senate, as well as a militia officer and clerk of Prince Georg ...
and the sister of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Theodorick Bland. His second wife died in 1775, and four years later Banister married Agan (
Scottish for Anna) Blair of
Williamsburg, daughter of
John Blair Sr.
John Blair (c. 1687 – November 5, 1771) was a merchant and politician of the colony of Virginia. He served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. As a member of the House of Burgesses, he initially represented Jamestown, Virginia, Ja ...
Banister's suburban villa in Petersburg,
Battersea, was built in 1768 in a five-part
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
style. In 1782, Banister was listed in
Dinwiddie County records with three free males, 46 adult slaves, 42 slaves under age, 28 horses, 126 cattle, and one chariot.
Revolutionary War
During the Revolutionary War, Banister was a
major and
lieutenant colonel of
cavalry in the Virginia line
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
(1778–1781).
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
and
Commander-in-Chief George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
regarded him highly, as witnessed by a letter he wrote to him from
Valley Forge
Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...
. In 1781, he aided in supplying his militia and in repelling the British from his state. Much of his personal property was lost. British forces under General
William Phillips William Phillips may refer to:
Entertainment
* William Phillips (editor) (1907–2002), American editor and co-founder of ''Partisan Review''
* William T. Phillips (1863–1937), American author
* William Phillips (director), Canadian film-make ...
would commonly stop at his home in Battersea.
Death
Banister is buried in the family plot at ''Hatcher's Run'', the family estate in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.
[
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References
Sources
* Johnson, Allen, ed. ''Dictionary of American Biography''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936.
External links
*Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banister, John
1734 births
1788 deaths
Founding Fathers of the United States
Signers of the Articles of Confederation
Virginia militiamen in the American Revolution
House of Burgesses members
Continental Congressmen from Virginia
18th-century American politicians
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia lawyers
Politicians from Petersburg, Virginia
Virginia colonial people