John Pendleton Jr. (1749 August 10, 1806) was a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

government official, most notably serving as the acting

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

for eight days in December, 1799. A nephew of

Edmund Pendleton Edmund Pendleton (September 9, 1721 – October 23, 1803) was an American planter, politician, lawyer, and judge. He served in the Virginia legislature before and during the American Revolutionary War, rising to the position of speaker. Pendleto ...

, Pendleton served as clerk of the Virginia Committee of Safety from 1775 to 1776. In 1776, the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 1 ...

named him the first clerk of the

Senate of Virginia 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 Vir ...

, and he served until June 1777. Pendleton also served on the

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...

Common Council from 1783 to 1784. From 1796 to 1802 he served as a member of the Council of State. In December 1799, James Wood resigned as governor shortly before the end of his term.

Hardin Burnley Hardin Burnley (March 19, 1761March 11, 1809) was a Virginia lawyer and political figure who served in the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Council of State. As President of the Council, Burnley was the acting Governor of Virginia f ...

, a member of the Council of Safety, was selected to act as governor for four days. Pendleton was then chosen to act as governor, and he served for eight days. He was succeeded by

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe wa ...

. Pendleton died in Richmond on August 10, 1806.

References

Sources

John Pendleton Biography
at National Governors Association 1749 births 1806 deaths Governors of Virginia Pendleton family Politicians from Richmond, Virginia {{Virginia-politician-stub