Robert Peter (July 22, 1726 – November 15, 1806) was an American politician, merchant, and landowner who served as the first mayor of Georgetown, Maryland.

Early life and family

Robert Peter was born on July 22, 1726, in

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. His ancestral home was Crossbasket Castle in Scotland. He emigrated to

British America British America collectively refers to various British colonization of the Americas, colonies of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1 ...

in 1746 at the age of 20. In December 1767, he married

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

native Elizabeth Scott, the daughter of George Scott, High Sheriff of Prince George's County. They had ten children (one of whom died as an infant). Their names were Thomas, Alexander, Elizabeth, Walter, Robert, Jean, Margaret, David,

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

, and James. Peter may have also fathered two

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

daughters with a widow, Cassandra Chew. Their names were Mary and Harriet.

Career

Landowner

Shortly after arriving to British America, Peter opened a general store, working as a storekeeper and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

merchant. He established a successful import/export trade business and resided in the town of

Bladensburg, Maryland Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,657 at the 2020 census. Areas in Bladensburg are located within ZIP code 20710. Bladensburg is from Washington, D.C. History Originally called Garr ...

. In 1752, he moved to Georgetown where he opened a general store and served as the purchasing agent for John Glassford's Scottish tobacco firm. His general store provided supplies for troops during 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 ...

and was recommended by 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 ...

as a reputable establishment. He owned an entire city block in the Congress Street and Wisconsin Avenue section of Georgetown which was known as "Peter's Square." Peter was a prominent landowner in

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 ...

and the Mount Pleasant and Pleasant Plains sections of what is now

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He owned and built numerous residential properties and estates, and also owned numerous tobacco-producing farms. In June 1791, he was the first of 19 landowners who sold land holdings to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and the federal government for the formation of the District of Columbia. He and the other men were honored with the title: ''"Original Proprietors of the City of Washington."''

Public service

His public service included serving as a justice of the peace in

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick, Maryland, Frederick. The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, ...

. In 1790, Georgetown's government was changed to include a Mayor, a Recorder, Aldermen and a Common Council. He was elected Georgetown's first mayor and took office in January 1790. He was also elected to the Board of Commissioners of Georgetown, serving thirty-two years in the office.

Death

Peter died on November 15, 1806, at the age of 80. At the time of his death, he owned over 20,000 acres of land and had a net worth of approximately $480,000 USD ($11.7 million in 2022 figures). He was buried at the Presbyterian Burying Ground. His remains were later exhumed in 1981 and reinterred in a family plot at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Legacy

His son Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Parke Custis Peter (a granddaughter of

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 Old Style, O.S. – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the ...

) built Tudor Place, a federal-style

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in Washington, D.C., that now serves as a museum and historic landmark. His son George was a major 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 ...

and 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

Maryland's 3rd congressional district Maryland's 3rd congressional district covers all of Howard County, Maryland, Howard county as well as parts of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel and Carroll County, Maryland, Carroll counties. The seat is currently represented by Sarah ...

. One of his grandsons, George Jr., was the

President of the Maryland State Senate The President of the Maryland Senate is elected by a majority of the State Senators. The incumbent is Bill Ferguson who has held the role since January 8, 2020. The Maryland Constitution of 1864 created the new position of Lieutenant Governor o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter, Robert 1726 births 1806 deaths Tobacco merchants Merchants from colonial Maryland 18th-century American merchants 18th-century American landowners 19th-century American landowners 18th-century mayors of places in Maryland Mayors of Georgetown, Montgomery County, Maryland American tobacco industry executives