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Robert Norton
Member From: 1869 - 1882
- Birth Date: ca. 1840 Birth Place:Williamsburg, VA
- Death Date: by October 17, 1898
- Gender: Male Race: African American
- Spouse: Wealthy A. Griffin (m. July 29, 1862); Mary Washington (m. March 2, 1871)
- Children: Two sons, three daughters
- Religion:
- Education:
- Military Service:
- Occupation/Profession: Barber and politican
- Memberships/Affiliations: Lone Star, Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute
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Additional Info Links:
Bio from Encyclopedia Virginia
Bio from Virginia's Martin Luther King Jr. Commission
- Bio: Robert Norton, one of three brothers elected to the General Assembly, served in the House of Delegates (1869–1882) and chaired the Committee on Labor and the Poor during the 1881–1882 session. Norton and his brother Daniel M. Norton escaped slavery in the mid-1850s. After the American Civil War (1861–1865), Robert Norton settled in Yorktown and carved out a power base by leading the fraternal society Lone Star. He won his first election to the House of Delegates in 1869, serving all but one term through 1883. The rise of the Readjuster Party late in the 1870s enhanced Norton’s influence, and he gained notice for seconding party leader William Mahone‘s nomination for the U.S. Senate. Norton sat as a delegate to Republican and Readjuster national and state conventions, and campaigned unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1874. Norton lost his bid for renomination to the House of Delegates in 1883. He was named to the board of visitors of the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (later Virginia State University) in 1885 and held a gubernatorial appointment as a curator of the fund for Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (later Hampton University). Norton died by 1898.
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869-1871 | York | Republican | Asylums and Prisons
Federal Relations and Resolutions Committee (Dates Unknown) Labor and Poor Privileges and Elections Committee (Dates Unknown) Schools and Colleges Committee (Dates Unknown) |
||
| 1871-1873 | York and James City | Republican | Asylums and Prisons Labor and Poor |
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| 1874-1875 | York and James City | Republican | Asylums and Prisons Committee
Federal Relations and Resolutions Committee (Dates Unknown) Labor and Poor Committee Privileges and Elections Committee (Dates Unknown) Schools and Colleges Committee (Dates Unknown) |
||
| 1877-1879 | James City and York | Republican | Asylums and Prisons Committee
Federal Relations and Resolutions Committee (Dates Unknown) Labor and Poor Committee Privileges and Elections Committee (Dates Unknown) Schools and Colleges Committee (Dates Unknown) |
||
| 1879-1880 | Elizabeth City, Warwick, James City, York and Williamsburg | Republican | Asylums and Prisons Committee
Chesapeake and its Tributaries Federal Relations and Resolutions Committee Labor and Poor Committee Manufactures and Mechanic Arts Privileges and Elections Committee Schools and Colleges Committee |
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| 1881-1882 | Elizabeth City, Warwick, James City, York and Williamsburg | Republican | Labor and Poor (Chair) Asylums and Prisons Federal Relations and Resolutions Labor and Poor Committee Privileges and Elections Committee Schools and Colleges Schools and Colleges |
*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.