William Brent Jr. (January 13, 1783 – May 13, 1848) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from
Stafford County, Virginia who served two terms 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 ...
and as the
United States Chargé d'Affaires, Argentina from June 14, 1844, to July 7, 1846.
Early and family life
He was born to the former Dorothy Leigh and her husband,
Robert Brent
Robert Brent (1764 – September 7, 1819) was the first mayor of Washington City, the future Washington D.C., federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family, members of which emigrated to the ...
, of a distinguished family in
Stafford County, Virginia and who became the mayor of
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
His uncle, Col.
William Brent (1775-1848), served as in Virginia's Fifth Convention during the American Revolutionary War, as well as several terms in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Stafford County, and later as secretary to President Thomas Jefferson and finally as clerk of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. This William Brent received a private education suitable to his class, graduated from the
College of William and 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 a ...
and married Mary Fenwick.
Virginia planter and politician
Stafford County voters twice elected Brent as one of their (part-time) representatives 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 ...
between 1810 and 1811. In 1820 he owned slaves, and also in 1830.
Diplomacy in Argentina
Brent was named as the
United States Chargé d'Affaires for Argentina on June 14, 1844, and presented his
credentials on November 15, 1844. Shortly after his arrival in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, France and England began their five-year
blockade of the city. Brent attempted to mediate the conflict, but his efforts were unsuccessful and his own government did not support him.
[Brent, Chester Horton. ''Descendants of Col. Giles Brent, Capt George Brent and Robert Brent, Gentlemen''. (Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publishing Co, 1946)]
References
External links
US State Department - Chiefs of Mission for Argentina: William Brent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brent Jr, Willian
1783 births
1848 deaths
Ambassadors of the United States to Argentina
19th-century American diplomats
Virginia lawyers
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
College of William & Mary alumni
19th-century American politicians
American slave owners
19th-century American lawyers