Philip Richard Fendall II (December 18, 1794 – February 16, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the District Attorney of Washington, D.C.

Early life

He was born December 18, 1794, at the Lee-Fendall House, located at 614 Oronoco St.,

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, to

Philip Richard Fendall I Philip Richard Fendall I (1734–1805) was an influential banker, lawyer, and merchant in Alexandria, Virginia. He was a member of the Lee family and a friend and business partner to George Washington. Fendall constructed the Lee-Fendall House ...

and Mary ( Lee) Fendall of "Leesylvania". Fendall matriculated to the College of New Jersey, later known as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1812 where he excelled at forensics and belonged to several clubs and

debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

societies. His academic performance was excellent and he graduated with honors in 1815. He was the "First Honor Man" (Salutorian of his class).

Career

Upon his return to Alexandria, Virginia following his graduation, he secured a position working in the law practice of his uncle, Richard Bland Lee, who was a Congressman from Northern Virginia. He was an aide to Richard, who was placed by President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

, as an overseer in charge of reconstructing the new Capital, due to the British burning the city during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. In 1820 Fendall was admitted to the Alexandria Bar. The 1820s were filled with financial woes for Fendall, which were compounded by his mother's financial difficulties, and by 1821 the Fendall's were forced to mortgage the Lee-Fendall House on Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia, which Fendall's father built. In 1822, Fendall was elected President of the Periclean Society of Alexandria. This organization was composed of 24 men who met and debated philosophical and political questions. It was through this, that Fendall sharpened his forensic skills. In August 1824, Fendall was appointed 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 ...

, as Captain of Infantry, 2nd Brigaide of the local District of Columbia Militia. However, he did not hold this position very long, and it is doubtful that he exercised his command, for he resigned his commission on May 26, 1825. Fendall became the Editor of the ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes d ...

'' in Washington, D.C. from 1824 to 1830, which was established by his close friend

Peter Force Peter Force (November 26, 1790 – January 23, 1868) was an American politician, newspaper editor, printer, archivist, and early American historian. He was twice elected the twelfth Mayor of Washington D.C. During his lifetime he ama ...

, who at one time was Mayor of Washington, D.C. President Monroe appointed him judge of the Orphan's Court for Alexandria County.

State Department

In 1827-1828, Fendall was a clerk in the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

. While working there he developed a lifelong friendship with Sen.

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seven ...

, Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams. On May 1, 1829, Fendall was terminated from his position by then-Secretary of State

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

in an early example of

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

based terminations at the State Department. Fendall remained a loyal and close confidant to Clay through his long career.

District Attorney

On July 4, 1841, President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

, appointed Fendall District Attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1844 he was dismissed when the Whig Party lost to the Democrats, and President James K. Polk came into office. In 1849 President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

re-appointed him to his former post and he served in this capacity until his resignation in 1853 during the Pierce administration. Fendall also maintained his own practice as a lawyer when not handling the affairs of U.S. District Attorney. In 1849, he was a pall bearer for the burial of Dolley (Payne) Todd Madison, wife of President

Civil War

When the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

broke out, Fendall was put in an awkward position, as he opposed slavery. On June 29, 1861, Fendall may have written an introduction letter for

Henry May (Maryland) Henry May (February 13, 1816 – September 25, 1866) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland. Early life May was born in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 1816. He was a son of Dr. Frederick May (1773–1847) and Juliana Mathilda (née Slacum) Ma ...

to meet

Edward Bates Edward Bates (September 4, 1793 – March 25, 1869) was a lawyer and politician. He represented Missouri in the US House of Representatives and served as the U.S. Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln. A member of the influentia ...

, Lincoln's Attorney General. The letter was found when May was arrested on September 13, 1861 by military authority. Fendall's cousins, Gen. Robert Edward Lee and Col. Richard Bland Lee II resigned their commissions in the Army and took up with the Confederacy. Fendall had one son, Lt. James Robert Young Fendall, who fought for the Confederacy, and two others who sided with the North. His son Maj. Philip Richard Fendall III, was a Lieutenant in the Union Marine Corps., and another son, Clarence "Claude" Fendall was in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, responsible for drafting maps for the Union Army.

Writings

In 1829, while still a Clerk, Fendall began writing a book entitled ''A History Of The Adams Administration'' (President

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

and Fendall were good friends). This was rumored a month before the inauguration of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. It never was published, whether because of a lack of subscribers or time restraints on Fendall's career. However, a book was released entitled ''Parties In The United States'' that Fendall is rumored to be a collaborator of. On June 16, 1830, upon the advent of Gen.

, Fendall became the Editor of the '' National Intelligencer'', one of the two daily papers in Washington D.C. along with the ''

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...

''. In 1860 under direction of the Joint Committee of Congress, he began to edit, revise and index the Madison Papers, which were the correspondences of President

Personal life

Fendall married Mary Elizabeth Young (1804–1859) in Alexandria, Virginia on March 31, 1827. Elizabeth was the daughter of Brig. Gen. Robert Young (1768–1824) of the Second Militia of the District of Columbia in the

. Following their marriage, the newlyweds moved to Washington, D.C. and set up housekeeping at 4th and Louisiana Avenue. This spacious house would serve as Philip's home and law office for the balance of his life. It was also in this house where Philip and Mary raised eight sons and three daughters. Their children included: * Mary Lee Fendall (1828–1911), who died unmarried. * Philip Richard Fendall III (1832–1879), a Lieutenant in the Union Marine Corps; he married Anne Catherine Tredick. * William Young Fendall (1834–1871), a lawyer in Washington, D.C. * Clarence "Claude" Fendall (1836–1868), who was in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and was responsible for drafting maps for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. * James Robert Young Fendall](1838–1869), a Lieutenant who fought for the Confederacy. * Florence F. Fendall (1841–1926), who died unmarried. * Arthur Fendall (1843–1878), who married Sally Cornelia Miller, a daughter of Thomas Miller, in 1874. * Reginald Fendall (1845–1898), who married Annie Augusta Galt, daughter of Matthew Galt of Galt & Bro. * Elizabeth Young Fendall (1847–1903), who died unmarried. * Stratford Fendall (1849–1877), a lawyer who married Annie B. Robinson, daughter of William Champlin Robinson Jr. Mary died in 1859, after thirty-two years of marriage. Fendall died February 16, 1868 at his home in Washington, D.C. at 1:00 p.m. He was placed in the vault at Glenwood Cemetery and then removed to the Presbyterian Cemetery in

Memberships and advocacy

Fendall was the second President of The Jamestown Society, originated in 1854 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. His name is on a bronze plaque at the base of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...

. The plaque honors those who formed the Washington Monument Society, to construct the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. He was active in this work during the mid-19th century. In April 1833, Fendall became the assistant secretary to the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

in Washington, D.C., a society, which was formed in 1816 by a number of prominent Southern liberals including

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

, George Washington Parke Custis,

, and ex-president

. The Society was interested in setting up a Colony, outside of America for free slaves to enjoy their freedom and own their own land. Fendall was instrumental in formulating the Society's goals. His draft stated that, "''Slavery is not a good either moral, political or economical but it is an evil imposed on many of the Southern States, in far gone days without their consent. In the introduction of it, the Northern states bear their full share of responsibility''."

Descendants

Through his son Philip, he was a grandfather of Marian Fendall (1870–1949), who married Jacob Wendell III in 1895, who in turn was the mother of Anne Catherine Tredick Wendell (1900–1977) (first wife of

Henry Herbert, 6th Earl of Carnarvon Henry George Alfred Marius Victor Francis Herbert, 6th Earl of Carnarvon (7 November 1898 – 22 September 1987), was a British peer. He was the son of George, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, and Almina Wombwell. Life Styled Lord Porchester from bir ...

) and Philippa Fendall Wendell (d. 1974) (wife of

Randolph Stewart, 12th Earl of Galloway Randolph Algernon Ronald Stewart, 12th Earl of Galloway (21 November 1892 – 13 June 1978) was the son of Randolph Stewart, 11th Earl of Galloway, styled Viscount Garlies from 1901 to 1920. Early life His father, the second son of the 9th Earl ...

References

External links

Official website of Stratford HallLee-Fendall House Museum And Garden Website