Thomas B. Robertson

Thomas Bolling Robertson (February 27, 1779 – October 5, 1828) was an Attorney General of the Orleans Territory, Secretary of the Louisiana Territory, a United States representative from Louisiana, the 3rd Governor of Louisiana, Attorney General of Louisiana and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

This article is about the U.S. Representative and Governor of Louisiana. For other people with a similar name, see Thomas Robertson (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Thomas Bolling Robertson.
Thomas B. Robertson
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
In office
May 26, 1824 – October 5, 1828
Appointed byJames Monroe
Preceded byJohn Dick
Succeeded bySamuel Hadden Harper
3rd Governor of Louisiana
In office
December 18, 1820 – November 15, 1822
Preceded byJacques Villeré
Succeeded byHenry S. Thibodaux
Attorney General of Louisiana
In office
1819–1821
GovernorJacques Villeré
Preceded byLouis Moreau-Lislet
Succeeded byEtienne Mazureau
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's at-large district
In office
April 30, 1812 – April 20, 1818
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byThomas Butler
Personal details
Born
Thomas Bolling Robertson

(1779-02-27)February 27, 1779
Petersburg, Virginia
DiedOctober 5, 1828(1828-10-05) (aged 49)
White Sulphur Springs, Virginia
Resting placeCopeland Hill Cemetery
White Sulphur Springs,
West Virginia
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
RelationsFulwar Skipwith
RelativesJohn Robertson
Wyndham Robertson
EducationCollege of William & Mary
read law

Education and career

Born on February 27, 1779, born at Belleield in Petersburg, Virginia,[1] Robertson attended the College of William & Mary[2] and read law in 1806.[1] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Petersburg in 1806.[1] He was Attorney General of the Orleans Territory from 1806 to 1807.[1] He was Secretary of the Louisiana Territory from 1807 to 1811.[1]

Congressional service

Upon the admission of the Territory into the Union as the State of Louisiana, Robertson was elected as a Democratic-Republican from Louisiana's at-large congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 12th United States Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from April 30, 1812, to April 20, 1818, when he resigned.[3] He was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands for the 14th and 15th United States Congresses.[3]

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Robertson resumed private practice in Louisiana from 1818 to 1820.[1] He was the 3rd Governor of Louisiana from December 18, 1820, until his resignation on November 15, 1822.[3] He was Attorney General of Louisiana in 1822.[1]

Federal judicial service

Robertson was nominated by President James Monroe on May 24, 1824, to a joint seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana vacated by Judge John Dick.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 26, 1824, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on October 5, 1828, due to his death in White Sulphur Springs, Virginia (now West Virginia).[1] He was interred in Copeland Hill Cemetery in White Sulphur Springs.[3]

Membership

Robertson was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1821.[4]

Agricultural society

In 1827, Robertson, along with Armand Duplantier, Fulwar Skipwith, Antoine Blanc and Sebastien Hiriart received permission from the Louisiana State Legislature to organize a corporation called the Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge.[5]

Family

Robertson had two brothers with political legacies: United States Representative John Robertson and Wyndham Robertson, a Governor of Virginia.[3] He married Lelia Skipwith, daughter of Fulwar Skipwith[6]

Honor

Robertson Street in New Orleans is named for the former Governor.

References
  1. Thomas Bolling Robertson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. William and Mary alumni Archived 2009-01-31 at the Wayback Machine
  3. United States Congress. "Thomas B. Robertson (id: R000326)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  4. "MemberListR". American Antiquarian Society.
  5. A general digest of the acts of the legislature of Louisiana, Vol II accessed 1 July 2012
  6. Skipwith, Fulwar Archived 2017-08-05 at the Wayback Machine at Louisiana Dictionary of Biography, accessed 04 August 2017.

Sources
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