George Robertson (November 18, 1790 – May 16, 1874) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Early life

Born near

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

, Robertson pursued preparatory studies and attended

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, until 1806. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1809, and commenced practice in

Lancaster, Kentucky Lancaster is a home rule-class city in Garrard County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the year 2010 U.S. census, the city population was 3,442. Located south of Lexington, Lancaster is the site of the Kenne ...

Legal and political career

Robertson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the Fifteenth,

Sixteenth The 16th century begins with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (Roman numerals, MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (Roman numerals, MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar ...

, and Seventeenth Congresses and served from March 4, 1817, until his resignation in 1821, before the convening of the Seventeenth Congress. He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Fifteenth Congress). He served as member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

1822-1827, serving four years as speaker. He declined the appointment as Governor of Arkansas Territory tendered by President James Monroe and the diplomatic posts of United States Minister to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

in 1824 and to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

in 1828. He served as Secretary of State of Kentucky in 1828. He was appointed associate justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1829 and served as chief justice from 1829 to 1834, when he resigned. He resumed the practice of law in

, and became professor of law in

1834-1857. Robertson was elected as a Whig a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1848, 1851, and 1852, and served as speaker in the two last-named years. He served as justice of the Court of Appeals for the Second District of Kentucky 1864-1871 and acting chief justice part of the time. He died in

, May 16, 1874, and was interred at

Lexington Cemetery Lexington Cemetery is a private, non-profit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 833 W. Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. The Lexington Cemetery was established in 1848 as a place of beauty and a public cemetery, in part to deal ...

. Robertson's sister, Charlotte, was the second wife of

Kentucky Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...

Robert P. Letcher Robert Perkins Letcher (February 10, 1788 – January 24, 1861) was a politician and lawyer from the US state of Kentucky. He served as a U.S. Representative, Minister to Mexico, and the 15th Governor of Kentucky. He also served in the Kentuck ...

. George Robertson is the namesake of Robertson County, Kentucky.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, George 1790 births 1874 deaths Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Judges of the Kentucky Court of Appeals Kentucky lawyers Kentucky Whigs 19th-century American politicians People from Harrodsburg, Kentucky Secretaries of State of Kentucky Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky People from Lancaster, Kentucky 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers