Robert Goodloe Harper (January 1765January 14, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He was a member of the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
from
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, serving from January 1816 until his resignation in December of the same year. He also served in the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...
(1790–1795), 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
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
(1795–1801), and in the
Maryland State Senate. He is best remembered for the phrase, "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute" in connection with the
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic episode in 1797 and 1798, early in the presidency of John Adams, involving a confrontation between the History of the United States (1789–1849), United States and French First Republic, Republican ...
. The town of
Harper, Liberia, is named after him.
Early life
Harper was born near
Fredericksburg in the
Colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776.
The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
in January 1765. He was the fifth child and first son of Jesse Harper (b. 1733) and Emily Diana Goodloe (1734–1788) and moved with his parents to
Granville, North Carolina around 1769. He received his early education at home and later attended grammar school.
At the age of fifteen, Harper joined a volunteer corps of Cavalry and served in the
American Revolutionary Army. He made a surveying tour through
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
and
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
in 1783, and graduated from the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
) in 1785. He studied law in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, teaching school at the same time, and was admitted to the bar in 1786.
[''The Evils of Necessity: Robert Goodloe Harper and the Moral Dilemma of Slavery''; Cox, Joseph.]
Career
He commenced practice in the
Ninety-Six District
District is a former judicial district in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It existed as a district from July 29, 1769 to December 31, 1799. The court house and jail for Ninety-Six District were in Ninety Six.
Colonial period
In the colonial p ...
of South Carolina, moving back to Charleston in 1789. From 1790 to 1795, Harper was a member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...
, at which time he was elected from South Carolina to the
Third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Alexander Gillon
Alexander Gillon (August 13, 1741October 6, 1794) was an American merchant and seaman from Charleston, South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the U.S. House in 1793 and 1794.
Early life and family
Gillon was born in 1741 in Rotterd ...
. He was reelected to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Congresses but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1800 to the Seventh Congress, serving as a U.S. Representative from February 9, 1795, to March 1801. While in Congress, he was the chairman of the
Committee on Ways and Means in the Fifth and Sixth Congresses. Harper was one of the
impeachment manager
An impeachment manager is a legislator appointed to serve as a prosecutor in an impeachment trial. They are also often called "House managers" or "House impeachment manager" when appointed from a legislative chamber that is called a "House of Repr ...
s appointed by the House of Representatives in 1798 to conduct the
impeachment
Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In Eur ...
proceedings against
William Blount.
Political career in Maryland
Harper moved to
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, and engaged in the practice of law. He consorted with the men of the mob riots of Baltimore against the British in June 1812. He served in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, attaining the rank of major general. He assisted in organizing the Baltimore Exchange Co. in 1815 and was a member of the first board of directors. He then became a member of the
Maryland State Senate, and was later elected from Maryland to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
for the term beginning March 4, 1815, serving from January 1816 until December 1816, when he resigned. He was an unsuccessful
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of deep ...
candidate for
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
in the
1816 election. He also received one electoral vote for vice president in the
1820 election.
[''Champion of Southern Federalism: Robert Goodloe Harper of South Carolina.'' Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1972. ]
In 1815, Harper was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...
.
American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref> and traveled extensively in Europe in 1819 and 1820. He took a prominent part in the ceremonies on the occasion of Lafayette's visit to Baltimore in 1824.
Personal life
On May 7, 1800, Harper married Catherine Carroll (1778–1861) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, Mar ...
. Catherine was the daughter of Charles Carroll and Mary (née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Darnall) Carroll. Her elder sister, Mary, married Richard Caton. Together, they were the parents of at least four children who survived to adulthood, including:
* Charles Carroll Harper (1802–1837), who married Charlotte Hutchinson Cheffelle (1807–1867) in 1827.
* Mary Diana Harper (1803–1818), who died young.
* Richard Caton Harper (1806–1815), who died young.
* Elizabeth Hyde Harper (1809–1823), who died unmarried.
* Emily Louisa Harper (1812–1892), who never married.
* Robert Goodloe Harper Jr. (1814–1854)
He died in Baltimore on January 14, 1825, and was initially interred in the family burial ground on his estate, Oakland in Roland Park, and later reburied in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.[''American National Biography'' Papenfuse, Eric.]
Descendants
Through his eldest son Charles, he was a grandfather of Emily Louisa Harper (1835–1908), who married William Clapham Pennington (1829–1913). Their son, Robert Goodloe Harper Pennington (1854–1920) was a prominent artist.
Ancestry
References
;Notes
;Sources
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Robert Goodloe
1765 births
1825 deaths
United States Army personnel of the War of 1812
Maryland state senators
Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia
United States Army generals
United States senators from Maryland
1816 United States vice-presidential candidates
1820 United States vice-presidential candidates
Maryland Federalists
Federalist Party United States senators
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
Carroll family
19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly
19th-century United States senators
18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
18th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly