John Pendleton

For other people named John Pendleton, see John Pendleton (disambiguation).

John Strother Pendleton (March 1, 1802 – November 19, 1868), nicknamed "The Lone Star", was a nineteenth-century congressman, diplomat, lawyer and farmer from Virginia.

Biography

Born near Culpeper, Virginia, Pendleton pursued preparatory studies as a child. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1824, commencing practice in Culpeper County, Virginia. He married Lucy Ann Williams, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Bruce Williams, on December 2, 1824, at "Soldiers Rest" in Orange County, Virginia. During the 1820s, he resided at the Slaughter-Hill House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1][2] The two had no biological children, but adopted Lucy's brother Philip's son, George Morton Williams, when he was three years old. Pendleton was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1830 to 1833 and again from 1836 to 1839. He was appointed by President John Tyler Chargé d'Affaires to Chile in 1841, serving until 1844 when he was elected a Whig to the United States House of Representatives, serving there from 1845 to 1849. In the House, he obtained the nickname "The Lone Star" due to the fact he was the only Whig from Virginia. Afterwards, Pendleton returned to being a statesman and was appointed by President Millard Fillmore Chargé d'Affaires to the Argentine Confederation in 1851, serving until 1854 and in 1852 was Minister to Brazil with Robert C. Schenck to negotiate a treaty of commerce with Paraguay and Uruguay.

He returned to the United States and engaged in farming before his death on November 19, 1868, near Culpeper, Virginia. He was interred in the family cemetery at "Redwood" in Cupeper.

References

  1. Ann L. Miller (April 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Slaughter-Hill House" (PDF). Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. and Accompanying photo
  2. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Samuel Chilton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 9th congressional district

March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1849
Succeeded by
Jeremiah Morton
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Richard Pollard
United States Ambassador to Chile
August 16, 1841 – June 6, 1844
Succeeded by
William Crump
Preceded by
William A. Harris
United States Chargé d'Affaires, Argentina
February 27, 1851 – March 31, 1854
Succeeded by
James A. Peden
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