Robert Richard Oliver (1738–1810 or 1811) was a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and a representative and president of the council of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

's first general assembly.

Early life

Oliver was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to Irish immigrants. In 1763, he married Mary Walker of Worcester.

Revolutionary War

He enlisted as a lieutenant of a company of

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

in April 1775. Oliver was promoted to captain in the

3rd Massachusetts Regiment The 3rd Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 24th Continental Regiment, Heath's Regiment, and Greaton's Regiment, was raised on April 23, 1775, under Colonel William Heath outside Boston, Massachusetts. When Heath was promoted to brigadier ...

in 1776, major in the 2nd Massachusetts in November 1777 or 3rd Massachusetts (November 1, 1777–January 1, 1783) and lieutenant colonel in the militia in 1779. Major Oliver was assigned to the 2nd Massachusetts from January 1 to November 3, 1783. He served under Colonel

Rufus Putnam Brigadier-General Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company of Associates, he was instrumental ...

, and his service was applauded by

Baron von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...

. He retired in November 1783 as a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

possesses a number of letters from Oliver to

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, David Humphreys (an aide de camp to Washington),

William Heath William Heath (March 2, 1737 – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Life and career Heath m ...

and others, as well as letters to Oliver. For example, Major Oliver and other officers of the

Massachusetts Line The Massachusetts Line was those units within the Continental Army that were assigned to Massachusetts at various times by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War. These, together with similar contingents from the other twel ...

signed a June 13, 1779, letter to George Washington regarding issues they had with how promotions were being handled. Oliver is an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati.

Post-war

After the war, Oliver moved to the

. He was appointed a justice of the peace of Washington County in 1788, and a major of the county militia the following year. He was also a judge on the Court of Common Pleas (dates unknown). He invested in the

Ohio Company of Associates The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company whose members are today credited with becoming the first non- Native American group to permanently settle west of the Allegheny mountains. In 1788 they establis ...

, purchasing two shares, and was elected its president in 1801. A May 10, 1792, proclamation granted Oliver, Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler and Griffin Green for "warrants ... issued for army bounty rights". He was elected as a representative of Washington County after the formation of the first territorial legislature in 1798, also serving as the president of the council (1779–1803). He ran for the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

in 1803 (the year Ohio became a state), but came in fifth. He was second in an 1807 election for Washington County commissioner. He died in

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Mar ...

, in 1810 or 1811.The tombstone shown on hi
Find a Grave
entry states 1811.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Robert 1738 births Year of death uncertain Continental Army officers from Massachusetts 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians Ohio Federalists People from Marietta, Ohio