Robert Taylor (April 29, 1763 – July 3, 1845) was a nineteenth-century

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

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 one term 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 ...

from 1825 to 1827.

Biography

Born in Orange Court House, Virginia, Taylor completed preparatory studies, studied law and was admitted to the bar 1783, commencing practice in Orange Court House. He held several local offices before serving in the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from 1804 to 1815 also serving as president pro tempore from 1812 to 1814.

Congress

In 1824, Taylor was elected an Adams Republican 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 ...

, serving from 1825 to 1827. He was not running a candidate for reelection.

Later career

Afterwards, Taylor devoted his attention to the management of his plantation and his legal practice. Taylor drafted the will of former President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

(a relative), whom he persuaded not to emancipate slaves, but leave instructions and allow

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of b ...

to do so in her will (which she failed to do).Leichtle and Carveth, Crusade Against Slavery: Edward Coles, Pioneer of Freedom (Southern Illinois University Press, 2011), pp. 162–166.

Death and burial

Taylor died at his estate called "Meadow Farm" in

Orange County, Virginia Orange County is a county (United States), county located in the central Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was ...

, on July 3, 1845, and was interred in the family cemetery on the estate.

Personal life

He had married Frances Pendleton (1767–1831). Their grandson, James Taliaferro, became U.S. senator from Florida. President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

was another relative (having the same grandfather, who is also buried in the former Meadow Farm estate cemetery).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert 1763 births 1845 deaths Virginia state senators Virginia lawyers National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People from Orange, Virginia 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives