John Rutherfoord (December 6, 1792August 3, 1866) was a U.S.

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as Acting Governor of Virginia between 1841 and 1842. He was the brother-in-law of

Edward Coles Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was an American planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, Coles as a young man was a neighbor and associate of presidents ...

Biography

Rutherfoord graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1816, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He served in a militia unit called the Richmond Fayette Artillery, advancing through the ranks from captain to regimental commander with the rank of colonel. He became president of the Mutual Assurance Society, Virginia's first insurance company. Originally a

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 ...

, and later a Whig, and then a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he served 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 ...

from December 1826 to March 1834. Rutherfoord was a member of the state Executive Council from 1839 to 1841. In 1841 Governor

Thomas Walker Gilmer Thomas Walker Gilmer (April 6, 1802 – February 28, 1844) was an American statesman. He served in a number of political positions in Virginia, including election as the 28th Governor of Virginia. Gilmer's final political office was as the 15th S ...

resigned to accept election to a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. His place was taken by

John M. Patton John Mercer Patton (August 10, 1797October 29, 1858) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia. Patton served in the United States House of Representatives representing two different Virginia Districts and was the acting gove ...

, who was first in the line of succession as the Executive Council's senior member. Patton served just 12 days before he resigned. Having been designated as the senior member of the Executive Council, Rutherfoord then succeeded to the governorship. Rutherfoord served one year, from March 31, 1841, to March 31, 1842. Upon his resignation, he was succeeded by another Executive Council member,

John Munford Gregory John Munford Gregory (July 8, 1804April 9, 1884) was a US political figure and Acting Governor of Virginia from 1842 to 1843. Biography Gregory was born in Virginia on July 8, 1804, and was a member of the Virginia state House of Delegates fr ...

, who completed the term to which Gilmer had been elected. After resigning from the governorship, Rutherfoord returned to his business interests. He died in Richmond on August 3, 1866, and was buried in Richmond's

Shockoe Hill Cemetery The Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia. History Shockoe Hill Cemetery, as it is presently called, was established in 1820, with the initial burial made in 1822. It was earlier known as the ...

References

*
A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Rutherfoord, 1841-1842
' a
The Library of Virginia
*

' a
National Governors Association
*
The Peculiar Democracy: Southern Democrats in Peace and Civil War
'. Wallace Hettle. 2001. *
History of Virginia from Settlement of Jamestown to Close of the Civil War
'. Robert Alonzo Brock, Virgil Anson Lewis. 1888. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherfoord, John 1792 births 1866 deaths Princeton University alumni Virginia lawyers American militia officers Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Governors of Virginia Virginia Democratic-Republicans Virginia Whigs Virginia Democrats Politicians from Richmond, Virginia Democratic Party governors of Virginia Burials in Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia American businesspeople in insurance