Virginia State Capitol: Part Seven

The next stop visitors taking a tour of the Virginia State Capitol make is the Old House Chamber. The Virginia House of Delegates met in the Chamber from 1788 until 1904. It has also been the scene of a number of historic events. In December 1791, the House voted to ratify the proposed Bill of Rights. In 1807, Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason in this room in a Federal Circuit Court trial presided over by John Marshall. The vote for Virginia's secession took place in the room in 1861. The Old House Chamber is home to a number of statues and busts that honor Virginia natives ans well as Confederate leaders.

John Marshall was born in Fauquier County, Virginia on 24 September 1755. After the outbreak of the American Revolution, Marshall was appointed as a Lieutenant in the Culpeper Minutemen and later became an officer with the Continental Army's 3rd Regiment of Virginia. He left the military in 1780 to study law. Following his attendance of a series of lectures by George Wythe at the College of William and Mary, Marshall was admitted to the bar. In 1782, he won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served until 1789 and again from 1795 to 1796. In 1788, Marshall was selected as a delegate to the Virginia convention responsible for ratifying or rejecting the United States Constitution. In 1799, he was confirmed as Secretary of State in the John Adams administration. Marshall was nominated for the United States Supreme Court and served as the Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835. John Marshall died on 6 July 1835.

Patrick Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia on 29 May 1736. Following an unsuccessful career as a planter, Henry was admitted to the bar in 1760. He was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1765. Henry is most known for his "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" speech in favor of sending Virginia troops to fight in the American Revolution. He served as the Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779. Following the Revolution, he was the Governor of Virginia from 1784 to 1786. Henry served as a representative to the Virginia convention of 1788, where he argued against ratifying the Constitution, because he felt that it gave too much power to the federal government. He was also a key figure in the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Patrick Henry died on 6 June 1799.

George Wythe was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1726. Wythe was admitted to the bar in Elizabeth City County in 1746 ans soon began practicing law in Spotslyvania County. He is best known as a signer of the Declaration of Independence, an attendee of the Constitutional Convention, and as being the first professor of law in America. George Wythe died on 8 June 1806.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born on 21 January 1824, in Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia). In 1842, Jackson enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Following his 1846 graduation, Jackson was sent to fight in the Mexican War. Following the war, he left the military to accept a teaching position at the Virginia Military Institute. Following Virginia's seccession from the Union in 1861, Jackson joined the Confederate Army. His Confederate military career includes the Valley Campaign of 1862 and his service as a corps commander in the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, Jackson was hit by friendly fire. Following the amputation of his left arm, he died from pneumonia eight days later on 10 May 1863.

Andrew Lewis was born in County Donegal, Ireland on 9 October 1720 and moved to Virginia in 1732. He spent much of the time prior to the French and Indian War as a surveyor in southwestern Virginia. Lewis was also a Captain in the Augusta County militia. He served as a Colonel in the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War and as a Brigadier General during the American Revolution. He is most famous for his 1774 victory in the Battle of Point Pleasant in Dunmore's War. Andrew Lewis died on 26 September 1781.

J.E.B. Stuart was born in Patrick County, Virginia on 6 February 1833. Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854 and served in Texas and Kansas with the U.S. Army, as well as during the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry. Following Virginia's seccession from the Union, he joined the Confederate Army. Stuart served under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, and later in the Army of Northern Virginia. J.E.B. Stuart died on 12 May 1864 following being shot at the Battle of Yellow Tavern.

Despite not being a native of Virginia, Jefferson Davis is honored with a bust in the Old House Chamber. Jefferson Davis was born in Christian County, Kentucky on 3 June 1808. Davis is best known as being president of the Confederate States of America. He served in that role from February 1861 until his capture at the end of the Civil War. Jefferson Davis died on 6 December 1889.

Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on 14 January 1808. in 1825, Maury joined the Navy as a midshipman. When a leg injury left him unfit for sea duty, he devoted his time to the study of navigation, meteorology, winds, and currents. He became Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory and head of the Depot of Charts and Instruments. Maury's uniform system of recording oceanographic data was adopted by navies and merchant marines around the world and was used to develop charts for all the major trade routes. When Virginia seceeded from the Union, Maury joined the Confederate Navy and became the Chief of Sea Coast, River and Harbor Defences. Maury advocated the creation of an agricultural college to complement VMI. This led to the establishment of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in Blacksburg, Virginia in 1872. Matthew Fontaine Maury died on 1 February 1873.

Joseph Johnston was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia on 3 February 1803. He graduated from West Point in 1829 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery. Johnston served in Florida, Texas, and Kansas, and fought with distinction in the Mexican-American War and by 1860 achieved the rank of Brigadier General. When Virginia seceded from the Union, Johnston resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Army. During the Civil War, he saw action during the Vicksburg Campaign, the Atlanta Campaign, and at the Battle of Bentonville. Following the Civil War, he served in the House of Representatives from 1879 until 1881. Joseph Johnston died on 21 March 1891.

Despite not being a native of Virginia, Alexander Stephens is honored with a bust in the Old House Chamber. Stephens was born in Wilkes County, Georgia on 11 February 1811. Stephen is best known as being Vice President of the Confederate States of America. He served in that role from February 1861 until the end of the Civil War. Alexander Stephens died on 4 March 1883.

Fitzhugh Lee was born in Fairfax County, Virginia on 19 November 1835. Lee graduated from West Point in 1856 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. In May 1860, he was appointed instructor of cavalry tactics at West Point, but resigned his commission upon the secession of Virginia and joined the Confederate Army. During the Civil War, Lee saw action in the Northern Virginia Campaign, the Maryland Campaign of 1862, the Battle of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, Petersburg, and the Third Battle of Winchester. Fitzhugh Lee died on 28 April 1905.

Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia on 18 August 1774. Following his graduation from what is now Washington and Lee University, he joined the Virginia militia. In 1875, Lewis joined the Army. When Jefferson began to plan for an expedition across the continent following the Louisiana Purchase, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory. Meriweather Lewis died on 11 October 11 1809.

Cyrus McCormick was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia on 15 February 15 1809. After his father spent 28 years unsuccessfully trying to produce a reliable horse drawn mechanical reaper, McCormick took on the challenge. Rather than being pushed by horses, the Cyrus McCormick design was pulled by horses and cut the grain to one side of the team. Cyrus McCormick died on 13 May 1884.

Sam Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia on 2 March 1793. In 1812 Houston reported to a training camp in Knoxville, Tennessee and enlisted in the 39th Infantry Regiment to fight the British in the War of 1812. In 1822, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served in that role until 1827. Houston was elected Governor of Tennessee in 1827. Following his time as Governor, Houston relocated to Texas, where he was a key figure in gaining independence from Mexico. He served as the President of Texas from 1836 to 1838 and from 1841 to 1844. Houston was a member of the Senate from 1846 to 1859. He served as the Governor of Texas from 1859 until 1861. Sam Houston died on 26 July 26 1863.

Richard Henry Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on 20 January 1732. In 1757, Lee was appointed justice of the peace in Westmoreland County. In 1758, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Lee was a member of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1779, 1784 to 1785, and in 1787. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served in the House of Delegates in 1777, 1780, and 1785. Lee was a member of the United States Senate from 1789 until 1792. Richard Henry Lee died on 19 June 1785.

George Mason was born in Fairfax County, Virginia on 11 December 1725. In 1759, he was elected to the House of Burgesses. Mason served at the Virginia Convention in Williamsburg in 1776, during which he authored a majority of both the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution. He also attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Mason opposed the signing of the Constitution due to the lack of a statement of rights. Following insistence from Mason, the Bill of Rights was ratified on 15 December 1791. The Bill of Rights was based primarily on George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights. George Mason died on 7 October 1792.

The Robert E. Lee Statue is located on spot at which he accepted command of Virginia's forces following the outbreak of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on 19 January 1807. Lee graduated from West Point in 1829 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Lee distinguished himself in the Mexican–American War as one of Winfield Scott's chief aides. After the Civil War began, Lee assumed command of Virginia’s military forces. Soon after that, he was appointed as a General in the Confederate Army. In 1862, Lee was given command of the Army of Northern Virginia. He saw action at Cheat Mountain, the Seven Days Campaign, Second Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, and Appomattox. Following the war, Lee became President of Washington College. It was renamed Washington and Lee following his death. Robert E. Lee died on 12 October 12 1870.