Archibald Stuart (December 2, 1795 – September 20, 1855) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia. He was the first cousin of

Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (April 2, 1807 – February 13, 1891) was a prominent Virginia lawyer and American political figure associated with several political parties. Stuart served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly (1836-1 ...

and the father of Confederate General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, who was the seventh of eleven children.

Early life

Born in Lynchburg, Virginia to Anne Dabney Stuart and Judge

Alexander Stuart Alexander Stuart may refer to: * Alexander Stuart (scientist) (1673–1742), scientist, winner of the Copley Medal *Alexander Hugh Holmes Stuart (1807–1891), United States Secretary of the Interior between 1850 and 1853 *Alexander Stuart (Austral ...

(who had previously served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly), Stuart received a private education suitable to his class. He attended the College of William & Mary from to 1780.

Career

He became an officer in the War of 1812 and studied law afterward. After being admitted to the bar, Stuart commenced practice in Lynchburg. He was elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. Stuart was elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1836, serving from 1837 to 1839. After losing reelection to Isaac Adams, Stuart resumed practicing law. In 1850-51 he served in the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...

. He served to the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

, serving from 1852 to 1854.

Death and legacy

Stuart died suddenly at his home, " Laurel Hill" in

Patrick County, Virginia Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the ...

, on September 20, 1855. He was interred in the Stuart family cemetery at Laurel Hill. His son

J.E.B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials o ...

, who had graduated from the U.S.Military Academy in 1854 to start his military career, resigned his U.S. Army commission to join the Confederate States Army, eventually commanding all cavalry with the rank of Major General before his combat-related death in 1864. In 1859, this man's widow, Elizabeth Letcher Pannill Stuart, whose ancestor William Lechter had founded the plantation, and died there, killed by a Tory sympathizer in 1780) sold Laurel Hill (including the plantation house rebuilt after an 1847/8 fire) to two men from North Carolina. In 1952 the Stuart family re-interred this man's remains in

Saltville Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 2,077 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a compon ...

(in Smyth and Washington Counties, Virginia), next to his widow, although the family members (as well as slaves) may still be interred at Laurel Hill. Congressional Directory, "Archibald Stuart" In 1991, Laurel Hill was preserved by the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Trust, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Electoral history

*1837; Stuart was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 56.08% of the vote, defeating Whig Nathaniel H. Claiborne. *1839; Stuart lost his re-election bid.

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Archibald 1795 births 1855 deaths 19th-century American politicians Archibald American military personnel of the War of 1812 American people of Scotch-Irish descent College of William & Mary alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Patrick County, Virginia Politicians from Lynchburg, Virginia Virginia lawyers Democratic Party Virginia state senators