Robert B. Taylor (March 24, 1774 – April 13, 1834) was a nineteenth-century American lawyer and militia Brigadier General from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early life

Taylor was born in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

, and graduated from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

in 1793. While at College, he fought a duel with

John Randolph of Roanoke John Randolph (June 2, 1773May 24, 1833), commonly known as John Randolph of Roanoke,''Roanoke'' refers to Roanoke Plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, not to the city of the same name. was an American planter, and a politician from Virg ...

Career

As an adult, Taylor lived in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, and was elected to the House of Delegates from 1796 to 1800. Appointed by the General Assembly as a Brigadier General of state militia, Taylor served in the defense of Norfolk 1813-1814 during the War of 1812; he was appointed to the same rank in the U.S. army, but declined. In 1829, Taylor was elected to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are s ...

. He was chosen by the Convention to serve on the Committee on the Judicial Department, but he resigned on ascertaining that his views on enfranchisement and apportionment did not align with his constituency. He was one of four delegates elected from the western senatorial district made up his home district of the Borough of Norfolk, and Norfolk, Princess Anne, and Nansemond Counties. He was replaced by

Hugh Blair Grigsby Hugh Blair Grigsby (November 22, 1806 – April 28, 1881) was an American lawyer, journalist, politician, planter and historian. In addition to representing Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates before the American Civil War, he served as th ...

. Taylor served on the Virginia General Court from 1831 until his death.

Death

Robert B. Taylor died on April 13, 1834, in

. Pulliam 1901, p. 82

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert B. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia 1774 births 1834 deaths