Hugh Nelson
6thUnited States Minister to Spain
In office December 4, 1823 – July 23, 1824
Appointed by	James Monroe
Preceded by	John Forsyth
Succeeded by	Alexander Hill Everett
Chair of theHouse Judiciary Committee
In office March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1819
Preceded by	Charles J. Ingersoll
Succeeded by	John Sergeant
In office 1822 – March 3, 1822
Preceded by	John Sergeant
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia
In office March 4, 1811 – January 14, 1823
Preceded by	David S. Garland
Succeeded by	Alexander Smyth
Constituency	21st district (1811-1813) 22nd district (1813-1823)
13thSpeaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office 1807–1809
Preceded by	Peter Johnston Jr.
Succeeded by	James Barbour
Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from theAlbemarle district
In office 1805 – 1809 AlongsideJoel Yancey,Walter Leake,Peter Carr, Rice Garland
Preceded by	William Waller Hening
Succeeded by	Tucker Coles William D Meriwether
In office 1828 – 1829 Alongside John P Drummond,William F. Gordon
Preceded by	Albert Allmand Charles Cocke
Succeeded by	Thomas Walker Gilmer Rice W Wood
Member of theVirginia Senate from theElizabeth City,Warwick andYork district
In office 1786–1791
Preceded by	William Lee
Succeeded by	Richard Cary Jr
Personal details
Born	Hugh Nelson (1768-09-30)September 30, 1768 Yorktown,Virginia Colony,British America
Died	March 18, 1836(1836-03-18) (aged 67) Albemarle County,Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Cismont,Virginia
Party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Eliza Kinloch
Parent(s)	Thomas Nelson Jr. (father) Lucy Grymes (mother)
Education	College of William & Mary

Hugh Nelson (September 30, 1768 – March 18, 1836) was an American politician andU.S. representative fromVirginia.

Nelson was born inYorktown in theColony of Virginia, to the former Lucy Grymes (1743-1830) and her husband, the future general and governorThomas Nelson Jr. This Nelson could trace his descent from theFirst Families of Virginia. His paternal grandfather,William Nelson, served in both houses of theVirginia General Assembly, and operated a successful mercantile business and plantations. His maternal grandfather also served as a burgess.

Hugh Nelson graduated from theCollege of William and Mary inWilliamsburg, Virginia, in 1780, although his father suffered severe financial difficulties after the American Revolutionary War. The final battle, the Siege of Yorktown, was over land that his great-grandfather had developed, and many buildings and cultivated (or over-cultivated) were destroyed or lost value. Somewhat complicating matters, his uncle, Col. Hugh Nelson (1749–1799), also distinguished himself during the war, then became a delegate representing Fauquier County.^[1][2]

Following the American Revolutionary War, Nelson was elected to theSenate of Virginia (1786–1791), representing (pert time) a district including the former colonial capital,Williamsburg andJames City andYork Counties, including many plantations devastated in the war's last campaign, theSiege of Yorktown.

He moved westward toAlbemarle County, and voters there elected him as one of their representatives (part time) in theVirginia House of Delegates 1805–1809 and again in 1828–1829.^[3] He wasspeaker of the latter house from 1807 to 1809. Nelson also served as judge of the general court.

Nelson was apresidential elector in1808.^[4]

He was elected as aDemocratic-Republican to theTwelfth and to the five succeeding Congresses, and served from March 4, 1811, until his resignation on January 14, 1823, having received an appointment in the diplomatic service. He served as chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary (Fourteenth,Fifteenth, andSeventeenth Congresses). Nelson was appointed by President James Monroe asUnited States Minister to Spain on January 15, 1823, and served until November 23, 1824.

Nelson died at his home, "Belvoir," inAlbemarle County, Virginia, on March 18, 1836. He was interred in Belvoir Cemetery inCismont, Virginia.

• United States Congress."Hugh Nelson (id: N000035)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

 This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.

• 1768 births
• 1836 deaths
• Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates
• Nelson family (Virginia)
• People from Yorktown, Virginia
• Ambassadors of the United States to Spain
• Virginia state senators
• College of William & Mary alumni
• 19th-century American diplomats
• Democratic-Republican Party United States representatives from Virginia
• Politicians from Albemarle County, Virginia
• 1808 United States presidential electors
• 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly
• 19th-century United States representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from November 2020
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress