Robert Whitehill (Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Robert Whitehill was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
Robert Whitehill (brother of John Whitehill
, uncle of James Whitehill
, and great-great-grandfather of John Crain Kunkel) was born in Pequea, Pennsylvania
. He settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention in July 1776 that approved the Declaration of Independence
. He was a member of the council of safety in 1777, and a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1790. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1797 to 1800.
He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
from 1801 to 1804, and was speaker of the senate in 1804 during the impeachment trials of the judges of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
.
Whitehill was elected as a Republican to the Ninth Congress
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John A. Hanna
. He was reelected to the Tenth
and to the three succeeding Congresses and served until his death at Lauther Manor, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
. He was interred in Silver Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Hampden Township, near Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
.
Notable writings include the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, which he helped draft, and the Minority Dissent to the ratification of the US Constitution by Pennsylvania. This dissent included a number of proposed amendments to the US Constitution and is thought to have been used by James Madison when he drafted the United States Bill of Rights
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Robert Whitehill (brother of John Whitehill
John Whitehill
John Whitehill was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.John Whitehill was born in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Lancaster County...
, uncle of James Whitehill
James Whitehill
James Whitehill was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.James Whitehill was born in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Strasburg...
, and great-great-grandfather of John Crain Kunkel) was born in Pequea, Pennsylvania
Pequea Township, Pennsylvania
Pequea Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,358 at the 2000 census. The community was named for the Piqua tribe.-Geography:...
. He settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention in July 1776 that approved the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. He was a member of the council of safety in 1777, and a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1790. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1797 to 1800.
He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...
from 1801 to 1804, and was speaker of the senate in 1804 during the impeachment trials of the judges of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
.
Whitehill was elected as a Republican to the Ninth Congress
9th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: George Clinton * President pro tempore: Samuel Smith - House of Representatives :* Speaker: Nathaniel Macon -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John A. Hanna
John A. Hanna
John Andre Hanna was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania.Born in Flemington, New Jersey, he received a classical education and graduated from Princeton College in 1782. He studied law, was admitted to the bar of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1783 and commenced practice in Lancaster...
. He was reelected to the Tenth
10th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :- Senate :*President: George Clinton *President pro tempore: Samuel Smith , elected April 16, 1808** Stephen R. Bradley , elected December 28, 1808** John Milledge , elected January 30, 1809...
and to the three succeeding Congresses and served until his death at Lauther Manor, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
. He was interred in Silver Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Hampden Township, near Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 2 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,636 at the 2000 census...
.
Notable writings include the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, which he helped draft, and the Minority Dissent to the ratification of the US Constitution by Pennsylvania. This dissent included a number of proposed amendments to the US Constitution and is thought to have been used by James Madison when he drafted the United States Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
.
Sources
- The Political Graveyard
- Crist, Robert Grant. Robert Whitehill and the Struggle for Civil Rights: A Paper Presented Before the Hamilton Library and Historical Association of Cumberland County, Carlisle, PennsylvaniaCarlisle, PennsylvaniaCarlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
., on March 20, 1958. Lemoyne, PennsylvaniaLemoyne, PennsylvaniaLemoyne is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Lemoyne was incorporated as a borough on May 23, 1905. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 3,995. It was formerly named Bridgeport. Lemoyne lies across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital...
.: Lemoyne Trust Co., 1958. - Crist, Robert G. ed., Pennsylvania and the Bill of Rights (University Park:Pennsylvania Historical Association, 1990).
- Pittman, R. Carter, "Jasper Yeates’s Notes on the Pennsylvania Ratifying Convention, 1787," William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser. (22, 2 April 1965): 301-318.
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