Theodore Clay Pilcher (March 20, 1844 – December 7, 1917) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the Virginia Senate, representing the state's

11th district 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

from 1916 until his death just under two years later. From 1891 to 1901, he represented

Fauquier County Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 160 ...

in the House of Delegates.

Early life and military service

Pilcher was born in Warrenton, Virginia on March 20, 1844. He was the fourth and youngest child of Alexander Spottswood Pilcher, a farmer and Frances Pitt Pilcher (née Shumate). On February 5, 1863, at the age of eighteen, Pilcher enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, wishing to fight in the ongoing

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He served as a private with Company H of the

4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment The 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. History The Virginia 4th Cavalry compl ...

, also known as the "Black Horse Cavalry," until the end of the war two years later.

Career

Pilcher first held political office in 1891 when he was elected as a Democrat to represent

in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. After this, he represented his home county for four subsequent two-year terms. He succeeded his older brother,

Julius The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...

, who served two terms in that position. In 1901, Pilcher retired to his farm, spending the next fourteen years mostly staying out of politics. In 1915, Pilcher reentered public life, making a run for the

seat in the Virginia state senate. He was successful, representing the district, which was then composed of Fauquier and Loudoun, during the General Assembly's 1916 session. Pilcher died in his hometown on December 7, 1917. His replacement in the Senate, Lucien Keith was sworn in on the first day of the General Assembly's next session, January 10, 1918, and the body was later that day adjourned in his memory.

Personal life

Pilcher married Ada George on December 5, 1867. The couple had two sons, John and George. George's eldest son (also named Theodore Clay) represented Norfolk City in the House of Delegates from 1954 to 1965. Pilcher is buried in Midland Cemetery in Fauquier.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilcher, Theodore C. 1844 births 1917 deaths People from Warrenton, Virginia Democratic Party Virginia state senators 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians People of Virginia in the American Civil War