Robert Stanard (August 17, 1781 – May 14, 1846) was a Virginia lawyer, judge and political figure. He was the 16th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and later a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Biography

The son of William Stanard and Elizabeth Carter, Robert Stanard was born in

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Spotsylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the July 2021 estimate, the population was 143,676. Its county seat is Spotsylvania Courthouse. History At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that b ...

on August 17, 1781. In 1798, he attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

, where he studied law. Stanard subsequently began the private practice of law, and eventually became a notable figure in the Richmond legal community. From 1816 to 1817, he was elected as the 16th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. In 1817, he became the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Virginia. Stanard was later selected as a member of the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are s ...

, which revised the

Constitution of Virginia The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

. His contribution to the convention were well received and increased his prominence. In 1839, he was elected to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, upon the death of Judge William Brockenbrough. He remained on that court until his death in 1846. The town of

Stanardsville, Virginia Stanardsville is a town in Greene County, Virginia, United States. The population was 349 at the 2020 census, down from 367 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The name is from Robert Stanard, a benefactor who donated lan ...

is named after him.

Personal life

Stanard married Jane Stith Craig on February 13th, 1812, and fathered four children; Robert Craig (b. May 17, 1814), William Beverly (b. March 15, 1819}, Mary Elizabeth (b. 1822) and Jane Stith (b. 1822). His son, Robert Craig Stanard, was a childhood friend of poet

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, and Jane Stith Craig was the subject of Poe's poem "

To Helen "To Helen" is the first of two poems to carry that name written by Edgar Allan Poe. The 15-line poem was written in honor of Jane Stanard, the mother of a childhood friend. It was first published in the 1831 collection ''Poems of Edgar A. Poe.'' It ...

". She died on April 28th, 1824 at the age of 33 or 34, and Stanard never remarried. She is known posthumously as "Poe's Helen".

References

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The Political Graveyard

External links

Jane Stith Craig Stanard
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanard, Robert Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia United States Attorneys for the District of Virginia Virginia state court judges Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates 1781 births 1846 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians People from Spotsylvania County, Virginia College of William & Mary alumni