Thomas Bolling Robertson (February 27, 1779 – October 5, 1828) was an Attorney General of the

Orleans Territory The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 1804, ...

, Secretary of the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...

, a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, the 3rd

Governor of Louisiana 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 ...

Attorney General of Louisiana The office of attorney general of Louisiana (french: Procureur général de la Louisiane) has existed since the colonial period. Under Article IV, Section 8 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the attorney general is elected statewide for a four-yea ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (in case citations, E.D. La.) is a United States federal court based in New Orleans. Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to the United States Court of Ap ...

and the

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette, ...

Education and career

Born on February 27, 1779, born at Belleield in Petersburg,

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 ...

, Robertson attended the

College of William & 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 ...

and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1806. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Petersburg in 1806. He was Attorney General of the

from 1806 to 1807. He was Secretary of the

from 1807 to 1811.

Congressional service

Upon the admission of the Territory into the Union as the State of

, Robertson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

from

Louisiana's at-large congressional district From the time of its admission to the Union in 1812, until the division into multiple districts a decade later, Louisiana had only one congressional district. During that time, three people represented the state at-large. List of members represe ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the

12th United States Congress The 12th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1811 ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from April 30, 1812, to April 20, 1818, when he resigned. He was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands for the

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

and

15th United States Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...

es.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Robertson resumed private practice in Louisiana from 1818 to 1820. He was the 3rd

from December 18, 1820, until his resignation on November 15, 1822. He was

in 1822.

Federal judicial service

Robertson was nominated by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

on May 24, 1824, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge John Dick. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on May 26, 1824, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on October 5, 1828, due to his death in White Sulphur Springs, Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

). He was interred in Copeland Hill Cemetery in White Sulphur Springs.

Membership

Robertson was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1821.

Agricultural society

In 1827, Robertson, along with

Armand Duplantier Armand Gabriel Allard du Plantier (1753 – 9 Oct 1827) was a French cavalry officer who served in the American Revolutionary War as an '' aide-de-camp'' to General Lafayette. Early life Armand was born in Voiron, France, the son of Joseph Antoine ...

Fulwar Skipwith Fulwar Skipwith (February 21, 1765 – January 7, 1839) was an American soldier, diplomat, politician and farmer. who served as a U.S. Consul in Martinique, and later as the U.S. Consul-General in France. He was instrumental in negotiating the L ...

Antoine Blanc Antoine Blanc (11 October 1792 – 20 June 1860) was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. His tenure, during which the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, was at a time of growth in the city, ...

and Sebastien Hiriart received permission from the

Louisiana State Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 represen ...

to organize a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

called the

Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge The Agricultural Society of Baton Rouge was an agricultural organization established in Baton Rouge in 1827.

Family

Robertson had two brothers with political legacies:

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians * J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926) ...

and

Wyndham Robertson Wyndham Robertson (January 26, 1803February 11, 1888) was the Acting Governor of the U.S. state of Virginia from 1836 to 1837. He also twice served multiple terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, the second series representing Richmond during ...

, a

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

. He married Lelia Skipwith, daughter of

Skipwith, Fulwar
at ''Louisiana Dictionary of Biography'', accessed 04 August 2017.

Honor

Robertson Street in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

is named for the former Governor.

References

Sources

External links

State of Louisiana - Biography
*
Cemetery Memorial
by La-Cemeteries {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Thomas Bolling 1779 births 1828 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Louisiana Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana United States federal judges appointed by James Monroe 19th-century American judges Governors of Louisiana College of William & Mary alumni Louisiana Attorneys General Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Members of the American Antiquarian Society United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Robertson family of Virginia Burials in West Virginia