Isaac Anderson (November 23, 1760 – October 27, 1838) was a member of 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from 1803 to 1807. He also served as a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, representing

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

in 1801.

Early life

Isaac Anderson was born on November 23, 1760, at "Anderson Place" in Charleston Township in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

(in the portion that is now Schuylkill Township), near

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 ...

, the son of Elizabeth (née Morris) and Patrick Anderson and grandson of early settler James Anderson. His father was a member of the

. As a youth, he was known for his strength and wrestled.

Military career

At the age of 15, he served as carrier of dispatches between the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army under General

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 ...

and the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, then in session at

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

. In 1777, he was present at the Battle of Warren Tavern near

Paoli, Pennsylvania Paoli ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. At the 2020 census, it had a total population of 6,002. H ...

. He served three terms of service in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

before reaching the age of 18, at which time he became an ensign in the Fifth Battalion of Chester County Militia. He was commissioned on May 24, 1779, as first lieutenant, Fifth Battalion, Sixth Company.

Political career

Anderson served as justice of the peace in Charlestown Township for several years. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing

in 1801. He succeeded Abiah Taylor. Anderson was elected as a Republican to the

Eighth Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

and

Ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in

1806 Events January–March *January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. *January 5 – The body of British naval leader Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state ...

. He was a presidential elector during the

1816 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States from November 1 to December 4, 1816. The Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-Republican ticket of United States Secretary of State, secretary of stat ...

. Anderson was engaged in agricultural pursuits and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

ing. He was reported to have built the first lime kiln in Chester County. He wrote a history about his neighborhood in Chester County.

Personal life

Anderson married Mary Lane, daughter of Edward Lane and great-granddaughter of

Samuel Richardson Samuel Richardson (baptised 19 August 1689 – 4 July 1761) was an English writer and printer known for three epistolary novels: '' Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'' (1740), '' Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady'' (1748) and '' The Histo ...

. They had eleven children, including Isaac and Sarah. He was a Methodist. His grandson

Matthias J. Pennypacker Matthias J. Pennypacker (September 10, 1819 – August 31, 1899) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County in 1855. ...

served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is the great-grandfather of Pennsylvania Governor

Samuel W. Pennypacker Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (April 9, 1843 – September 2, 1916) was an American judge and politician who served as the 23rd governor of Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1907. A judge assigned to Pennsylvania's Court of Common Pleas system prior to his ...

. He was the grandfather of

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient

Everett W. Anderson Everett W. Anderson (July 12, 1839 - February 4, 1917) was an American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the American Civil War. Biography Anderson served in the American Civil War in Company M, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry fo ...

Anderson died at "Anderson Place" in 1838. Interment was in the family burying ground across the road from the family home near Valley Forge in Schuylkill Township.

References

Retrieved on 2009-05-21
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Isaac 1760 births 1838 deaths Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution American justices of the peace Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives