Isaac Coles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham B. Venable |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Clay |
| In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Abraham B. Venable |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromHalifax County | |
| In office May 5, 1783– June 22, 1788 Serving with John Coleman, James McCraw, Jeremiah Pate and Nathaniel Hunt | |
| Preceded by | James McCraw |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Watkins |
| In office May 1, 1780-May 6, 1781 Serving with William Peters Martin | |
| Preceded by | Micajah Watkins |
| Succeeded by | George Watkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1747-03-02)March 2, 1747 |
| Died | June 3, 1813(1813-06-03) (aged 66) |
| Resting place | "Coles Hill", Chatham Virginia |
| Party | Democratic-Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Anti-Administration |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Lightfoot (d. 1781) Catherine Thompson (d. 1848) |
| Children | Isaac Coles Jr.,Walter Coles |
| Relatives | Walter Coles (brother),Edward Coles (nephew) |
| Residence | "Coles Hill" |
| Alma mater | College of William and Mary |
| Profession | Planter |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Virginia state militia |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War |
Isaac Coles (March 2, 1747 – June 3, 1813) was anAmerican planter, militia officer and politician fromVirginia.[1][2]
Coles was born inRichmond in theColony of Virginia in 1747 to the former Mary Winston. His father, John Coles, had emigrated from Enniscorthy, Ireland, then became a merchant in firstHanover County. He moved somewhat south toHenrico County where he helped to settleRichmond at the falls of theJames River, became colonel of the local militia, as well as speculated in land further south and west and helped found now-historic St. John's Church. His maternal grandfather, Isaac Winston, for whom this boy and several relatives would be named, was from Hanover County. However, John Coles died months after this son's birth. His eldest son John Coles inherited land inAlbemarle County, and Issac and his middle brotherWalter when they came of legal age inherited lands along theStaunton River in what was then Brunswick County but later becameHalifax County. Meanwhile, Isaac was educated as befit his class, including at theCollege of William and Mary inWilliamsburg. Their sister Mary married Henry Tucker and had children, though his sister Sarah who married General George Muter had no children.[1]
Isaac Coles married twice. In 1771 he married Elizabeth Lightfoot, the daughter of one-term burgess William Lightfoot ofCharles City County. Before her death a decade later, she bore three children, but only one survived to adulthood --Isaac Coles Jr.(1777-1814) -- who (briefly) inherited his father's lands in Halifax County and also served in the Virginia House of Delegates. In January 1790, during his Congressional service in New York City, the widowed Isaac Coles met Catherine Thompson, who according to different accounts was the sister of a former member of the Queen's Guards[3] or a beauty descended from the Beekman family of New York City.[4] Her sister Anne Thompson (1767-1848) married the elderly bachelorElbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, who had been one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and held many offices including Governor of Massachusetts, Congressman and vice president of the United States. In any event, Catherine Thompson Coles had several children and survived her husband by decades.Their eldest sonWalter Coles became a congressman, as well as planter.
During theAmerican Revolutionary War, Coles joined theVirginia militia and served as acolonel in Halifax County.
When he reached legal age (21) and came into his inheritance, Coles became aplanter in Halifax County. He built a mansion he called "Springwood" nearHouston and Coles Ferry across theStaunton River.[5] In 1785, Coles bought over 5,000 acres of land inPittsylvania County, nearChatham, from Philip Lightfoot, a relative of his first wife. Over the next decade Coles developed this plantation, which he called "Coles Hill".[6] In 1787, Coles owned 3,896 acres of land, as well as 32 enslaved adults, 34 children, 24 horses and 97 other livestock, as well as 4 phaeton wheels in Halifax County.[7][2]
In 1780, his brotherWalter Coles (patriot) died, leaving his Halifax County plantations to his widow and children, and this Isaac Coles began his political career. After Halifax County voters elected Coles as one of their (part-time) representatives in theVirginia House of Delegates, he won re-election in 1781, then after a two-session break, continually won re-election between 1783 and 1787.[8] Halifax County voters also elected Isaac Coles as one of their representatives to theVirginia Ratifying Convention, which assembled in June 1788.[9] There, Coles opposed ratification of theUnited States Constitution, although his proved the minority view.
Nevertheless, Coles successfully ran for theUnited States House of Representatives. During his first term, from 1789 to 1791, he opposed adoption of the new Constitution, then also voted to abolish the slave trade.[4] This did not prove a significant liability, for Coles won re-election to the House in 1792 and 1794, thus serving from March 4, 1793, to March 3, 1797. However, his marriage in New York City proved a political liability, as perhaps did his shift toward the Federalist party of his brother-in-law, for he lost toMatthew Clay, who had repeatedly reminded voters that the widower failed to remarry a Virginia woman.[10]
In any event, concerned about malaria and other unhealthy conditions at his Halifax County plantation, and his eldest son having become an adult carrying on the family's planter and political traditions, Coles moved his second family to his Pittsylvania County estate and sold the rest of his Halifax County property to resolve some financial difficulties. He continued to farm using enslaved labor.[11]
Coles died on his plantation, Coles Hill, in Pittsylvania County nearChatham, Virginia in 1813 and was buried in the family cemetery there. His son Isaac Coles Junior only survived him by a year. His sonWalter Coles would also carry on the family's political and planter traditions, and served in the House of Representatives as had his father.
A nephew, Isaac A. Coles (b. 1780 at Enniscorthy, Albemarle County and brother of future Illinois governorEdward Coles) served as personal secretary to PresidentsThomas Jefferson andJames Madison during their administrations. Another nephewIsaac H. Coles served in the Virginia senate, representing Charlotte, Halifax and Prince Edward Counties.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 6th congressional district 1793–1797 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by District established | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 6th congressional district 1789–1791 | Succeeded by Abraham Venable |
 | ||
