Philip Pendleton Barbour

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Philip Pendleton Barbour

Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
In office May 12, 1836 – February 25, 1841
Nominated by	Andrew Jackson
Preceded by	Gabriel Duvall
Succeeded by	Peter Vivian Daniel

Born	May 25, 1783 Gordonsville, Virginia
Died	February 25, 1841 Washington, D.C.

Philip Pendleton Barbour (May 25, 1783 – February 25, 1841) was a Representative from Virginia and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was also the brother of Virginia governor and U.S. Secretary of War James Barbour as well as the first cousin of John S. Barbour and first cousin, once removed of John S. Barbour, Jr..

Barbour was born at "Frascati," near Gordonsville, Orange County, Virginia. He attended common and private schools and graduated from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1799. A year later he was admitted to the bar, and began practicing law in Bardstown, Kentucky. In 1801, he moved his law practice to Gordonsville in Orange County, Virginia.

Barbour started his public life as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1812 to 1814. When U.S. Representative John Dawson died, Barbour won the special election to fill the seat, and served as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives from September 19, 1814 to March 4, 1825, reaching the office of Speaker from 1821 to 1823.

He declined to run for re-election in 1824 and turned down an offer to become the professor of law in the University of Virginia in 1825. Instead, he was appointed a judge of the general court of Virginia and served for two years, resigning in 1827 to return to his seat in the House of Representatives as a Jacksonian.

For the first two years of his second stint in the House, he was chair of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. In 1829 he was president of the Virginia constitutional convention.while remaining a Representative. He turned down offers of a chancellorship and the post of U.S. Attorney General before finally resigning October 15, 1830 to accept President Jackson's appointment to be judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he served until March 17, 1836. ^[1]

Barbour continued to receive offers: he refused nominations for judge of the court of appeals, for Governor, and for United States Senator. Finally, he was offered appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Barbour served from May 12, 1836, until his death in Washington, D.C. on February 25, 1841.

He was buried in Congressional Cemetery.

[edit] Places named for Philip Barbour

Barbour County, West Virginia
Philippi, West Virginia
Philip Barbour High School in Philippi, West Virginia

Preceded by John Dawson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district September 19, 1814 – March 3, 1825	Succeeded by Robert Taylor
Preceded by John W. Taylor	Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives December 4, 1821 – March 4, 1823	Succeeded by Henry Clay
Preceded by Robert Taylor	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district March 4, 1827 – October 15, 1830	Succeeded by John M. Patton
Preceded by Gabriel Duval	Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States May 12, 1836 – February 25, 1841	Succeeded by Peter Vivian Daniel

Speakers of the United States House of Representatives

Muhlenberg • Trumbull • Muhlenberg • Dayton • Sedgwick • Macon • Varnum • Clay • Cheves • Clay • Taylor • Barbour • Clay • Taylor • Stevenson • Bell • Polk • Hunter • White • Jones • Davis • Winthrop • Cobb • Boyd • Banks • Orr • Pennington • Grow • Colfax • Pomeroy • Blaine • Kerr • Randall • Keifer • Carlisle • Reed • Crisp • Reed • Henderson • Cannon • Clark • Gillett • Longworth • Garner • Rainey • Byrns • Bankhead • Rayburn • Martin • Rayburn • Martin • Rayburn • McCormack • Albert • O'Neill • Wright • Foley • Gingrich • Hastert • Pelosi

The Taney Court
1836–1837:	J. Story \| S. Thompson \| J. McLean \| H. Baldwin \| J.M. Wayne \| P.P. Barbour
1837–1838:	J. Story \| S. Thompson \| J. McLean \| H. Baldwin \| J.M. Wayne \| P.P. Barbour \| J. Catron
1838–1841:	J. Story \| S. Thompson \| J. McLean \| H. Baldwin \| J.M. Wayne \| P.P. Barbour \| J. Catron \| J. McKinley