LeRoy Pope (January 30, 1765 – June 17, 1844) was an American planter, lawyer, and early settler of

Madison County, Alabama Madison County is a County (United States), county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 388,153, and according to a 2023 population estimate the ...

. He purchased much of the land on which downtown

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, now stands, and for his role in the establishment and early growth of that city, has been called the "Father of Huntsville."

Early life

Pope was born on January 30, 1765, in

Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Was ...

, the son of LeRoy Pope, Sr. and Elizabeth Mitchell. He was educated in his home state, and moved with his parents to

Amherst County, Virginia Amherst County is a county, located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The county is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, and its county seat is also named Amhers ...

. He is said to have served in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, and was present at the siege and battle of Yorktown, but no official documentation of this service exists.

Moving South

In 1790, Pope and a host of friends and relatives removed to the town of Petersburg, in

Elbert County Elbert County is the name of two counties in the United States: *Elbert County, Colorado *Elbert County, Georgia Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the populatio ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, where he was a tobacco planter. In 1809, was among the first wave of wealthy settlers to Madison County,

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

(now Alabama). He acquired a large tract of land which included the highly sought-after Big Spring, where pioneer John Hunt had settled in 1805. Hunt, like many other squatters, could not afford to purchase his land. Pope was successful in petitioning the territorial legislature to select his land as the site of Madison County's seat of government. He named the new town Twickenham after the home in

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 ...

of his distant relative

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

. In 1811, the town was renamed Huntsville in honor of the pioneer Hunt. LeRoy Pope's mansion, called Poplar Grove, was erected in 1814, in time to entertain General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

on his return home from the

Battle of Horseshoe Bend The Battle of Horseshoe Bend (also known as ''Tohopeka'', ''Cholocco Litabixbee'', or ''The Horseshoe''), was fought during the War of 1812 in the Mississippi Territory, now central Alabama. On March 27, 1814, United States forces and Indian ...

. It was one of the earliest brick structures in Alabama, and remains a prominent Huntsville landmark atop Echols Hill in the Twickenham Historic District. It was restored in the early 21st century.

Public life and civic leadership

Pope was a wealthy and successful planter, and was active in the early government and civic leadership of Huntsville and Madison County. He presided as chief justice of the first county court, and was among the founders of the first

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

church in Huntsville, organized in 1830. He was named by the legislature as a commissioner for the Planters' and Merchants' Bank of Huntsville, Alabama's first banking corporation, and for the Indian River Navigation Company.Owen, 1375. He was married to Judith Sale, daughter of Cornelius Sale and Jane Dawson of

. His daughter Matilda Pope married John Williams Walker, who became Alabama's first

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, and was the mother of

LeRoy Pope Walker LeRoy Pope Walker (February 7, 1817 – August 23, 1884) was the first Confederate States Secretary of War. Early life and career Walker was born near Huntsville, Alabama in 1817, the son of John Williams Walker and Matilda Pope, and a gran ...

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

secretary of war and brigadier general;

Richard Wilde Walker Richard Wilde Walker (February 16, 1823 – June 16, 1874) was an American politician. Biography Walker was born in Huntsville, Alabama in 1823. He was the son of John Williams Walker, the brother of Percy Walker and LeRoy Pope Walker, an ...

Confederate States senator The Confederate Senate was the upper house of the Confederate States Congress, Congress of the Confederate States of America. Its members were, like those of the United States Senate, elected for six year terms by the state legislature of each sta ...

; Percy Walker,

United States representative 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 ...

; and several other children. Another daughter, Maria Pope, married Thomas George Percy, Sr., and was the ancestor of such notables as Senator

LeRoy Percy LeRoy Percy (November 9, 1860December 24, 1929) was an American attorney, planter, and Democratic politician who served as a United States Senator from the state of Mississippi from 1910 to 1913. Percy was a grandson of Charles "Don Carlos" Pe ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, the poet

William Alexander Percy William Alexander Percy (May 14, 1885 – January 21, 1942) was a lawyer, planter, and poet from Greenville, Mississippi. His autobiography ''Lanterns on the Levee'' ( Knopf 1941) became a bestseller. His father LeRoy Percy was the last United ...

, Senator

Charles H. Percy Charles Harting Percy (September 27, 1919 – September 17, 2011), also known as Chuck Percy, was an American businessman and politician. He was president of the Bell & Howell Corporation from 1949 to 1964, and served as a Republican U.S. sen ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and the author

Walker Percy Walker Percy, Oblate of Saint Benedict, OblSB (May 28, 1916 – May 10, 1990) was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first, ''Th ...

.Owen, 1375; Owen, 1717; Robey et al., 119. Pope died in Huntsville on June 17, 1844, and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery.

References

Secondary sources

* Owen, Thomas McAdory, ''History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography''. Vol. IV. Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1921. Reprinted with an introduction by Milo B. Howard, Jr. Spartanburg, SC: Reprint Company, 1978. * Robey, Diane, Dorothy Scott Johnson, John Rison Jones, Jr., and Frances C. Roberts. ''Maple Hill Cemetery: Phase One''. Huntsville: Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society, 1995. * Alabama Historical Association. "The LeRoy Pope Mansion, 1814." Historical marker. 1997. *Le Roy Pope Obituary, - -Southern Advocate, Huntsville, June 21, 1844. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Leroy Alabama state court judges Alabama lawyers Farmers from Alabama 1765 births 1844 deaths Lawyers from Huntsville, Alabama American planters 19th-century American lawyers