Henry Tazewell (November 27, 1753January 24, 1799) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was instrumental in the early government of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and a US senator from Virginia. He was a slave owner, and served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1795.

Early life

Born in Brunswick County,

, Tazewell was the son of Littleton and Mary Gray Tazewell. He attended the rural schools and graduated from the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...

, in 1770. He married Dorothea Elizabeth Waller on January 13, 1774, who were the parents of Littleton Waller Tazewell, who became a senator and governor of Virginia, and a daughter, Sophia Ann.

Career

Tazewell studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1773, and began his practice. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, he raised and was commissioned captain of a troop of cavalry. A member of the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

in 1775, Tazewell was also a delegate to the Fourth Virginia Convention of 1775 and the

Fifth Virginia Convention The Fifth Virginia Convention was a meeting of the Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot legislature of Colony of Virginia, Virginia held in Williamsburg, Virginia, Williamsburg from May 6 to July 5, 1776. This Convention declared Virginia an ind ...

of 1776, which wrote the state constitution. From 1778 to 1785, he was a member of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

. In 1785, Tazewell became a judge of the Virginia General Court. Elevated to its chief justice, he served from 1789 to 1793. He also served as a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, later renamed the Virginia Supreme Court, in 1793. In 1794, Tazewell was elected to the

US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

to fill the vacancy that had been caused by the resignation of

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

. Re-elected in 1798, he served from December 29, 1794, to his death. He served as the president pro tempore of the Senate in 1795. When

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Senator

William Blount William Blount ( ; April 6, 1749March 21, 1800) was an American politician, landowner and Founding Father who was one of the signers of the Constitution of the United States. He was a member of the North Carolina delegation at the Constitution ...

was impeached on account of treason in 1797, Tazewell cast the lone dissenting vote against Blount's expulsion from the Senate.William Masterson, ''William Blount'' (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1954). Tazewell was one of four senators to vote against authorizing military force for the

Quasi-War The Quasi-War was an undeclared war from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic. It was fought almost entirely at sea, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States, with minor actions in ...

Death

Tazewell died in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, on January 24, 1799, and is interred at

Christ Church Burial Ground Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia is an important early-American cemetery. It is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, Benjamin Rush ...

Tazewell County, Virginia Tazewell County () is a county located in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell. Tazewell County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropoli ...

;

Tazewell, Virginia Tazewell () is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,578. It is the county seat of Tazewell County. History Na ...

;

Tazewell, Tennessee Tazewell is a town in and the county seat of Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,165 at the 2000 census, 2,218 at the 2010 census, and 2,348 at the 2020 census. The town is named for Tazewell, Virginia, which itself w ...

;

New Tazewell, Tennessee New Tazewell is a city in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,037 at the 2010 census.The population was 2,769 at the 2020 census. History When the railroad line was built from Knoxville through Cumberland Gap in the ...

; and possibly

Tazewell County, Illinois Tazewell County () is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 131,343. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze." ...

are named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tazewell, Henry United States senators from Virginia Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia House of Burgesses members 1753 births 1799 deaths People from Brunswick County, Virginia College of William & Mary alumni Burials at Christ Church, Philadelphia People from colonial Virginia Tazewell family United States senators who owned slaves 18th-century United States senators 18th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References

External links