Jacob Read (1752 – July 17, 1816) was an American lawyer and politician from Charleston, South Carolina. He represented

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in both the Continental Congress (1783–1785) and 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 ...

(1795–1801).

Biography

Read was born at "Hobcaw" plantation in Christ Church Parish, near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1752. After he completed preparatory studies, he studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

. He also studied in England from 1773 to 1776. He joined other Americans in London in 1774 in a petition against the Boston port bill.

Career

When Read returned to the United States, he served South Carolina in various military and civil capacities during the Revolutionary War. He was sent with other Americans as a prisoner of the British to St. Augustine from 1780 to 1781. He was a member of the State assembly in 1782, and of the privy council in 1783. He served as a Member of the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1785, and was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from St. Philip's and St. Michael's Parish. His service in the state lower house lasted from January 8, 1782 to December 17, 1794, and served as Speaker for the last five years in that house. Elected as a Federalist to the United States Senate, Read served a single term from March 4, 1795, to March 3, 1801. He served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Fifth Congress for about a month, but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. He was succeeded by

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 ...

John E. Colhoun.

Death

Read died in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 17, 1816 (age about 64 years). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

in the Bond/Read family cemetery at "Hobcaw," in Christ Church Parish, near Charleston.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Jacob 1752 births 1816 deaths Continental Congressmen from South Carolina 18th-century American politicians United States senators from South Carolina Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate South Carolina Federalists Federalist Party United States senators