Henry Tazewell | |
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| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office February 20, 1795 – December 8, 1795 | |
| Preceded by | Ralph Izard |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Livermore |
| United States Senator fromVirginia | |
| In office December 29, 1794 – January 24, 1799 | |
| Preceded by | John Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Wilson C. Nicholas |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromWilliamsburg City | |
| In office October 21, 1782 – March 31, 1785 | |
| In office October 4, 1779 – October 1, 1781 | |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromBrunswick County | |
| In office October 7, 1776 – October 4, 1779 | |
| Member of theVirginia House of Burgesses fromBrunswick County | |
| In office June 1, 1775 – May 6, 1776 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1753-11-27)November 27, 1753 Brunswick County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | January 24, 1799(1799-01-24) (aged 45) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Anti-Administration |
| Spouse | Dorothea Elizabeth Waller Tazewell |
| Children | Littleton Waller Tazewell Sophia Ann Tazewell |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Politician, Judge |
| Profession | Law |
| Signature |  |
Henry Tazewell (November 27, 1753 – January 24, 1799) was an American politician who was instrumental in the early government ofVirginia, and aUS senator from Virginia.[1] He served asPresident pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1795.Tazewell County county, among other places, is named in his honor.
Born inBrunswick County,Virginia, Tazewell was the son of Littleton and Mary Gray Tazewell. He attended the rural schools and graduated from theCollege of William & Mary atWilliamsburg, Virginia, in 1770.
He married Dorothea Elizabeth Waller on January 13, 1774, who were the parents ofLittleton Waller Tazewell, who became a senator and governor of Virginia, and a daughter, Sophia Ann.
Tazewell studied law, wasadmitted to the bar in 1773, and began his practice. During theAmerican Revolutionary War, he raised and was commissioned captain of atroop of cavalry.[2]
A member of theHouse of Burgesses in 1775, Tazewell was also a delegate to theFourth Virginia Convention of 1775 and theFifth Virginia Convention of 1776, which wrote the state constitution. From 1778 to 1785, he was a member of theVirginia General Assembly.
In 1785, Tazewell became a judge of theVirginia General Court. Elevated to its chief justice, he served from 1789 to 1793.[2] He also served as a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, later renamed theVirginia Supreme Court, in 1793.
In 1794, Tazewell was elected to theUS Senate to fill the vacancy that had been caused by the resignation ofJohn Taylor. Re-elected in 1798, he served from December 29, 1794, to his death. He served as thepresident pro tempore of the Senate in 1795.
WhenTennessee SenatorWilliam Blount was impeached on account of treason in 1797, Tazewell cast the lone dissenting vote against Blount's expulsion from the Senate.[3]: 321–2 Tazewell was one of four senators to vote againstauthorizing military force for theQuasi-War.[4]
Tazewell died inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 24, 1799, and is interred atChrist Church Burial Ground.
Tazewell County, Virginia;[7]Tazewell, Virginia;Tazewell, Tennessee;New Tazewell, Tennessee; and possiblyTazewell County, Illinois are named after him.
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Virginia 1794–1799 Served alongside:Stevens T. Mason | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate 1795 | Succeeded by |
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| Class 2 | ||
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