James M. Garnett

James Mercer Garnett (born June 8, 1770 in Loretto , Essex County , Colony of Virginia , †  April 23, 1843 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1805 and 1809 he represented the state of Virginia in the US House of Representatives .

Career

James Garnett was the older brother of Robert S. Garnett (1789-1840), cousin of Charles F. Mercer (1778-1858), and grandfather of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett (1821-1864), who were all Congressmen. He attended private schools and then worked as a planter . At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Republican Party . He served in the Virginia House of Representatives in 1800 and 1801 .

In the congressional election of 1804 , Garnett was elected to the Eleventh constituency of Virginia in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Anthony New on March 4, 1805 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1809 . In 1807 he was a member of the jury that indicted former Vice President Aaron Burr of high treason. In 1808 he renounced another candidacy.

After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, Garnett was again active as a planter. He ran a boys' school on his plantation. Between 1817 and 1837 he was President of the Fredericksburg Agricultural Society . In 1824 and 1825 he was again a member of the state parliament. In both 1821 and 1831 he was a delegate at meetings against customs regulations. Garnett was also one of the founders of the Virginia Agricultural Society. He was also vice president of the Virginia Colonization Society . In 1829 he attended a meeting to revise the Virginia Constitution. He died on April 23, 1843 on his Elmwood estate near Loretto, where he was also buried.

Web links

• James M. Garnett in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• James M. Garnett in the database of Find a Grave (English)