John Banister (December 26, 1734 – September 30, 1788) was an American

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

, lawyer, planter, and slave owner from

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

. As a member of the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

, he assisted in framing the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

, which became the nation's first constitution in 1781.

Life

The son of John Banister and grandson of John Baptist Banister the naturalist, he was educated at

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, admitted on September 27, 1753. Banister served in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

(1765–1769, 1772–1775),

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 ...

(1776–1778, 1781–1784), and

(1778–1779). While a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was a framer of the

, which he signed on July 8, 1778. Banister also had served as a member of the Virginia Convention, which declared Virginia an independent state in 1776. He was appointed the first mayor of Petersburg in 1785. He was well informed on current affairs and an established writer. Battersea, 793 Appomattox Street (Petersburg city, Virginia)

Battersea, 793 Appomattox Street (Petersburg city, Virginia)

Banister was married three times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Munford in 1755. After her death in 1770, he married Elizabeth "Patsy" Bland, the daughter of

Theodorick Bland of Cawsons Theodorick Bland (December 2, 1708 – 1784), also known as Theodorick Bland, Sr. or Theodorick Bland of Cawsons, was Virginia planter who served as a member of the first Virginia Senate, as well as a militia officer and clerk of Prince Georg ...

and the sister of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Theodorick Bland. His second wife died in 1775, and four years later Banister married Agan ( Scottish for Anna) Blair of Williamsburg, daughter of

John Blair Sr. John Blair (c. 1687 – November 5, 1771) was a merchant and politician of the colony of Virginia. He served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. As a member of the House of Burgesses, he initially represented Jamestown, Virginia, Ja ...

Banister's suburban villa in Petersburg,

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

, was built in 1768 in a five-part

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style. In 1782, Banister was listed in Dinwiddie County records with three free males, 46 adult slaves, 42 slaves under age, 28 horses, 126 cattle, and one chariot.

Revolutionary War

During the Revolutionary War, Banister was a

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and

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 ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

in the Virginia line

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

(1778–1781).

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and Commander-in-Chief

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 ...

regarded him highly, as witnessed by a letter he wrote to him from

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

. In 1781, he aided in supplying his militia and in repelling the British from his state. Much of his personal property was lost. British forces under General

William Phillips William Phillips may refer to: Entertainment * William Phillips (editor) (1907–2002), American editor and co-founder of ''Partisan Review'' * William T. Phillips (1863–1937), American author * William Phillips (director), Canadian film-maker ...

would commonly stop at his home in Battersea.

Death

Banister is buried in the family plot at ''Hatcher's Run'', the family estate in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

References

Sources

* Johnson, Allen, ed. ''Dictionary of American Biography''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936.

External links

*Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banister, John 1734 births 1788 deaths Founding Fathers of the United States Signers of the Articles of Confederation Virginia militiamen in the American Revolution House of Burgesses members Continental Congressmen from Virginia 18th-century American politicians Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Politicians from Petersburg, Virginia Virginia colonial people