Robert Burton (October 20, 1747 – May 31, 1825) was an American
farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
, Revolutionary War officer, and
planter in what is now
Vance County, North Carolina
Vance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,578. Its county seat is Henderson.
Vance County comprises the Henderson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...
(then
Granville County, North Carolina
Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford.
Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
). He was a delegate from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
to the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
in 1787. Between 1783 and 1815, the
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
elected him to 13 one-year terms on the
Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
, which at the time was an official advisory panel that the legislature used to check the governor's power.
Early life and career
Robert Burton was born in Goochland County, Colony of Virginia on October 20, 1747. He was the son of Tabitha Minge and Hutchings Burton and may also have been the grandson of
Noel Burton, barrister of Henrico County, Virginia. He moved to
Granville County, North Carolina
Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford.
Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
in about 1775 where he married Agatha Williams, daughter of
Judge John Williams.
Military service
Military service record:
* Before 1780, a Lieutenant in the Virginia Continental Line
* Colonel,
Granville County Regiment
Granville may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Granville (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
*Earl Granville, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain and of the UK
*Baron Granville, a title in the Pe ...
(1780 1782)
* 1780, Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General and Commissary over Hillsborough and Halifax Districts.
* Stationed at Nutbush/
Williamsboro in
Granville County
Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford.
Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
(currently
Vance County, North Carolina
Vance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,578. Its county seat is Henderson.
Vance County comprises the Henderson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...
)
Burton was the uncle of Governor
Hutchins G. Burton.
References
External links
*
Continental Congressmen from North Carolina
18th-century American politicians
1747 births
1825 deaths
North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution
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