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Edmund Pendleton
Member From: 1752 - 1778
- Birth Date: 1721 Birth Place:
- Gender: Male Race: Caucasian
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- Additional Info: 1777-1778 Assembly- Edmund Pendleton was elected to the high court of chancery Jan. 14. 1778, leaving a vacancy in the House.
- Bio: EDMUND PENDLETON of Caroline County was the son of Henry and Mary (Taylor) Pendleton. At the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to Benjamin Robinson, Clerk of Caroline County. In April 1741, he was licensed to practice law as an attorney. In 1744, he was “Deputy Attorney of Our Lord the King”, and he was a justice of the peace for Caroline County, 1751-77. He was a member of the House of Burgesses, 1752-74; Committee of Correspondence, 1773; Convention of August 1774; First and Second Continental Congress, 1774 and 1775; President of the Committee of Safety, 1775-76; member and first speaker of the House of Delegates, 1776, also a member thereof in 1777; member of the 1776 and 1787 Committees on Revision of Laws; first President of the High Court of Chancery, elected January 14, 1778; first President of the Court of Appeals, 1779-1803; and President of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1788. He was practically the directing head of the Committee of Safety, and as such the most powerful man in Virginia during the latter part of 1775. He married firstly, January 21, 1741 Elizabeth Roy (died November 17, 1742), daughter of John and Dorothy Roy of Caroline County. Secondly, he married, June 1743, Sarah Pollard, daughter of Joseph and Priscilla (Hoomes) Pollard of King and Queen County.
While he was Speaker of the House, the Clerk was JOHN TAZEWELL. - Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices:
Virginia Constitutional Convention: 1776, 1788
Served as Speaker of the House of Delegates during the 1776 session
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1752-1755 | Caroline | Courts of Justice Privileges and Elections Propositions and Grievances |
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| 1756-1758 | Caroline | Courts of Justice Privileges and Elections Propositions and Grievances |
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| 1758-1761 | Caroline | Courts of Justice
Privileges and Elections Propositions and Grievances |
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| 1761-1765 | Caroline | Courts of Justice (Chair) Privileges and Elections Propositions and Grievances |
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| 1766-1768 | Caroline | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Propositions and Grievances |
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| 1769 | Caroline | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Propositions and Grievances Religion |
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| 1769-1771 | Caroline | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Propositions and Grievances Religion |
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| 1772-1774 | Caroline | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Propositions and Grievances Religion |
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| 1775-1776 | Caroline | ||||
| 1776 | Caroline | Speaker of the House | |||
| 1777-1778 | Caroline |
*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.