John Banister (December 26, 1734 – September 30, 1788) was an American

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states 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., political system ...

, 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 with a majority bla ...

. As a member of the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...

, he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

, which became the nation's first constitution in 1781.

Life

The son of John Banister and grandson of John Baptist Banister the

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, he was educated at

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London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, admitted on September 27, 1753. Banister served in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

(1765–1769, 1772–1775),

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses 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-numbe ...

(1776–1778, 1781–1784), and

(1778–1779). While a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was a framer of the

, 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 1784. Banister was married twice. He first he married Elizabeth "Patsy" Bland, the daughter of Theodorick Bland of Cawsons and the sister of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

Theodorick Bland. His first wife died in 1777, and two years later Banister married Agan ( Scottish for Anna) Blair of Williamsburg, daughter of John Blair Sr. Banister's suburban villa in Petersburg,

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

, 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 Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and lieutenant colonel of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

in the Virginia line

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

(1778–1781).

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and Commander-in-Chief

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

regarded him highly, as witnessed by a letter he wrote to him from

Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...

. 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 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.

Namesake

A distinguished Pennsylvania jurist, John Bannister Gibson (1780-1853), was named after John Banister, although using a slightly different spelling of the name.Samuel Dreher Matlack, "JOHN BANNISTER GIBSON. 1780-1853" in William Draper Lewis, ''Great American Lawyers'' (1909), pp. 351–404

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 Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Politicians from Petersburg, Virginia People from colonial Virginia 18th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly