Robert Coleman Foster I (July 8, 1769 – September 27, 1844) was a prominent

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Biography

Foster was born in Virginia on July 8, 1769. He was married to Ann Hubbard. He settled near

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, where his son Ephraim was born in 1794, before moving his family to Nashville in 1797. He was one of Nashville's earliest residents, and one of the original twelve trustees of Davidson Academy, which eventually became

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

, and eventually part of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. Foster was elected to the

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

as a member of

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

, serving from 1803 to 1807, including a term as speaker of the House in the 6th General Assembly, from 1805 to 1807. He served in the Tennessee Senate in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 16th General Assemblies (1809–1815 and 1825–1827) and was elected Speaker of the Senate in 1813 and 1825. He was a candidate for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1815 and 1817, running unsuccessfully against

Joseph McMinn Joseph McMinn (June 22, 1758October 17, 1824) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. A veteran of the American Revolution, he had previously served in the legislature of the Southwest Territo ...

. Foster died on September 27, 1844, and is buried in the

Nashville City Cemetery Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans. Overview Nashville ...

. Foster's sons Robert Coleman Foster Jr. and

Ephraim H. Foster Ephraim Hubbard Foster (September 17, 1794September 6, 1854) was an American politician, who twice served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. During his political career, he was a member of the Whig Party. Biography Foster was born nea ...

both also served in the Tennessee General Assembly. Ephraim, who was a prominent Nashville attorney and politician, became a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

References

Sources

*Zollicoffer-Bond, Octavia. (November 14, 1909). "The Foster Family." ''The Nashville American.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster I, Robert Coleman 1769 births 1844 deaths Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Speakers of the Tennessee House of Representatives Tennessee state senators Tennessee lawyers Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee People from Kentucky 19th-century American lawyers