Patrick Magruder (1768 – December 24, 1819''Dictionary of American Library Biography.'' (1978). Bohdan Wynar, ed. "Magruder, Patrick (1768-1819)." Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 337–339. ) was an American lawyer, politician, and librarian who served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland’s 3rd congressional District from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807, and as the 2nd

Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, from December 26, 1807 to January 18, 1815.

Biography

Patrick Magruder was born on his family's estate, ''Locust Grove'', near Rockville in the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland ...

, in 1768, the son of Samuel Wade Magruder (1731-1792), and Lucy Beall (1738-1795). Patrick Magruder was the great-grandson of Samuel Magruder (1654-1711), the son of Alexander “the Immigrant” Magruder (1610-1676). Patrick Magruder attended

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

and became a lawyer. In 1804, he was elected to be a Member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

’s

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

congressional District, and served from March 4, 1805, to March 3, 1807. After the death of

John J. Beckley John James Beckley (August 4, 1757 – April 8, 1807) was an American political campaign manager and the first Librarian of the United States Congress, from 1802 to 1807. He is credited with being the first political campaign manager in the Unite ...

, President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

appointed Magruder to the dual post of

Clerk of the United States House of Representatives The Clerk of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the United States House of Representatives, whose primary duty is to act as the chief record-keeper for the House. Along with the other House officers, the Clerk is elec ...

and

Librarian of Congress The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. In addition to overseeing the library, the Libra ...

. The posts were not separated until 1815. Magruder served as the 2nd Librarian of the United States Congress from December 26, 1807 to January 18, 1815. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, the British burned

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, including the Library of Congress, which was then housed in the

US Capitol Building The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. After an investigation by Congress into the destruction of the library and the use of its funds, Magruder resigned. He died December 24, 1819 in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, and was buried on his family's ancestral estate, ''Sweden'', near Petersburg in

Dinwiddie County, Virginia Dinwiddie County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 27,947. Its county seat is Dinwiddie, Virginia, Dinwidd ...

. Magruder, who first married Sarah Turner, and then Martha Goodwyn, had six children: Theophilus, Louisa, Edmund, Patrick, Adelina, and Napolean.

References

External links

*
Patrick Magruder entry
a
Find a Grave
1768 births 1819 deaths Clerks of the United States House of Representatives Librarians of Congress Princeton University alumni Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People from Montgomery County, Maryland {{Maryland-politician-stub