Robert Townshend Hooe (October 3, 1743 – March 16, 1809) was a Revolutionary War officer, businessman, and politician who served as the first mayor of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

Early life

Robert Townshend Hooe was born in 1743 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 ...

, the son of Rice and Tabitha Harrison Hooe. Beginning as a young adult, Hooe had numerous business ventures in Virginia and Maryland, including over 500 acres in landholdings and his merchant firm Hooe and Harrison. Hooe owned and enslaved seven persons above age 16 and also owned seven younger slaves.

American Revolutionary War

Hooe served as a lieutenant colonel in the twelfth battalion during the Revolutionary War and attained the rank of colonel by 1781. He also owned

privateers A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

during the war.

Political career

In 1766, Hooe was elected Deputy Surveyor of

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...

. In 1774, he was elected to serve as a member of the

committee of observation A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

for Charles County. From 1774 until 1776, Hooe was an elected delegate to the Maryland Constitutional Convention representing Charles County. After the Town of Alexandria was formally incorporated in 1779, Hoee became the town's first mayor in 1780 and served until 1781. He continued his military service during his time as mayor, and later served multiple terms on the city council and

hustings A husting originally referred to a native Germanic governing assembly, the thing. By metonymy, the term may now refer to any event (such as debates or speeches) during an election campaign where one or more of the candidates are present. Devel ...

court until 1786. Beginning in 1790, Hooe served as the High Sheriff of

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

. In 1795, Hooe donated an acre of land that became the Basilica of St. Mary, the first Catholic Church in Virginia, and is recognized as one of the church's benefactors along with

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 Lt. Colonel John Fitzgerald. In 1801, President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

appointed Hooe as a justice of the peace for the District of Columbia during the final days of his time in office. Hooe's was one of the many appointments that was the subject of the 1803

Marbury v. Madison ''Marbury v. Madison'', 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find ...

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case.

Death and legacy

A few years before he died Hooe was the defendant in the case United States v. Hooe. Hooe died on March 16, 1809, in Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 65.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooe, Robert T. 1743 births 1809 deaths 18th-century mayors of places in Virginia Mayors of Alexandria, Virginia Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania People from Maryland Continental Army officers from Maryland Continental Army officers from Virginia American slave owners