Robert Henry Whitelaw was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

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Born on a farm near Lloyds, Virginia, Whitelaw moved with his father to Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

Cape Girardeau County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 75,764. While the largest city in the county is Cape Girardeau, the county seat is actually Jackson, which was the first city named in honor of President...

, in 1856.
He returned to Essex County, Virginia

Essex County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...

, in 1866.
He attended private schools in Tappahannock and Staunton, Virginia, and the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
He was admitted to the bar in 1873 and commenced practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...

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City attorney in 1873.
He served as prosecuting attorney of Cape Girardeau County 1874-1878.
He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1883 and 1887.

Whitelaw was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Fifty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Peter Walker and served from November 4, 1890, to March 3, 1891.
He was not a candidate for election in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress.
He resumed the practice of law in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...

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He retired from active law practice in 1927 and moved to Blodgett, Missouri

Blodgett, Missouri

Blodgett is a village in Scott County, Missouri, United States. The population was 265 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blodgett is located at ....

, and in 1934 to Blytheville, Arkansas

Blytheville, Arkansas

Blytheville is the largest city in and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 15,620 at the 2010 census....

, where he died on July 27, 1937.
He was interred in Lorimier Cemetery, Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...

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