Robert Weakley
Encyclopedia
Robert WeakleyRobert Weakley ( -1845 was an American politician and a representative of Tennessee
of the United States House of Representatives
.
. He joined the Revolutionary Army
at the age of sixteen and served until the close of the American Revolutionary War
, fighting in the Battles of Alamance and Guilford Courthouse
. In 1785 he moved to the part of North Carolina
that later became Tennessee
and engaged in agricultural
pursuits. He was a member of the North Carolina convention that ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1789.
In 1796 he was elected to the first Tennessee House of Representatives
. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eleventh Congress, which lasted from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1811. In 1819 he was appointed commissioner to treat with the Chickasaw Indians
. In 1823 and 1824 he was a member of the Tennessee Senate
, serving as its president in 1823. He was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1834.
Robert Weakley died near Nashville, Tennessee
on February 4, 1845. He was interred
in the family vault at "Lockeland," on his estate currently in the suburb
of East Nashville.
Weakley County, Tennessee is named for him.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
of the United States House of Representatives
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...
.
Biography
He was born in Halifax County, Virginia on July 20, 1764, and he attended schools in Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. He joined the Revolutionary Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
at the age of sixteen and served until the close of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, fighting in the Battles of Alamance and Guilford Courthouse
Battle of Guilford Court House
The Battle of Guilford Court House was a battle fought on March 15, 1781 in Greensboro, the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War...
. In 1785 he moved to the part of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
that later became Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and engaged in agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
pursuits. He was a member of the North Carolina convention that ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1789.
In 1796 he was elected to the first Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eleventh Congress, which lasted from March 4, 1809 to March 3, 1811. In 1819 he was appointed commissioner to treat with the Chickasaw Indians
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
. In 1823 and 1824 he was a member of the Tennessee Senate
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
, serving as its president in 1823. He was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1834.
Robert Weakley died near Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
on February 4, 1845. He was interred
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in the family vault at "Lockeland," on his estate currently in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of East Nashville.
Weakley County, Tennessee is named for him.