Thomas B. Robertson

Thomas B. Robertson

Thomas Bolling Robertson (born February 27, 1775 in Petersburg , Colony of Virginia , †  October 5, 1828 in White Sulfur Springs , Virginia ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Louisiana from 1820 to 1824 .

Early years and political advancement

Robertson attended William and Mary College in Virginia until 1797 . After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1806, after which he began to practice in Petersburg. In 1807 he was named Secretary of State in the Orleans Territory by President Thomas Jefferson . So he was from 1807 to 1811 deputy of the Territorial Governor William Claiborne , with whom he also sometimes had differences. After Louisiana joined the United States as a state in 1812, Robertson was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC . There he represented the new federal state between April 30, 1812 and April 20, 1818. in theIn Congress he was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands . At that time he campaigned for import duties on sugar to protect sugar production in Louisiana from imports. After his time in Washington, Robertson was Attorney General of Louisiana from 1819 to 1820 .

Louisiana Governor

On July 3, 1820, he was elected as a candidate for the Democratic Republican Party for governor of Louisiana, with 40.1 percent of the vote in front of Pierre Derbigny (25 percent), Abner L. Duncan (21.7 percent) and Jean Noel Destréhan (13.2 percent) prevailed. Robertson took up his new office on December 18, 1820. During his tenure, the state's roads were expanded and the school system improved. Otherwise, his tenure was overshadowed by the contrasts between the Creole and Anglo-American populations. The Creoles had colonized the country long before the Americans immigrated from the north and now felt patronized by them. There were riots between the two groups. Governor Robertson stood idly by this development. The conflict and his inaction damaged his reputation as governor and on November 15, 1824 he resigned in view of the hopeless situation. However, his term of office would have expired in December of the same year anyway.

Further life

After his resignation, Robertson succeeded the late John Dick as a judge at the federal district court for the eastern and western districts of Louisiana. He held this office until 1827. Due to his deteriorating health, Robertson traveled in 1828 to White Sulfur Springs in what is now West Virginia . There he hoped in vain for an improvement in his health. He died on October 5, 1828 and was buried in Copeland Hill Cemetery in White Sulfur Springs. Thomas Robertson was married to Lelia Skipwith.

His brother Wyndham Robertson (1803-1888) was Governor of Virginia between 1836 and 1837 . Another brother, John Robertson (1787–1873), sat for Virginia in the US House of Representatives between 1834 and 1839.

Web links

• Thomas Robertson in the National Governors Association (English)
• The Governors of Louisiana
• Thomas B. Robertson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Thomas B. Robertson in the database of Find a Grave (English)