John Clopton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 23rd district
In office
March 4, 1813  September 11, 1816
Preceded byNone (district created)
Succeeded byJohn Tyler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 22nd district
In office
March 4, 1803  March 3, 1813
Preceded byNone (district created)
Succeeded byHugh Nelson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 13th district
In office
March 4, 1801  March 3, 1803
Preceded byLittleton Tazewell
Succeeded byJohn J. Trigg
In office
March 4, 1795  March 3, 1799
Preceded bySamuel Griffin
Succeeded byJohn Marshall
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from New Kent County
In office
October 19, 1789  October 1, 1792
Preceded byJohn Dandridge
Succeeded byJohn Dandridge
Personal details
Born(1756-02-07)February 7, 1756
New Kent County, Colony of Virginia, British America
DiedSeptember 11, 1816(1816-09-11) (aged 60)
New Kent, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
SpouseSarah Bacon
Alma materCollege of Philadelphia
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceVirginia Militia
RankCaptain
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War

John Clopton (February 7, 1756 – September 11, 1816) was a United States representative from Virginia.

Early life and education

John Clopton was born in St. Peter's Parish, near Tunstall, New Kent County in the Colony of Virginia on February 7, 1756. His father was William Clopton (1618–1698) and his mother was Elizabeth Dorrell Ford (1727–1785). He graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) in 1776. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced.

Military service

He served as first lieutenant and as captain in the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War and was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine.

Career

Clopton was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1789 to 1791 and was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fourth and Fifth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1795, to March 3, 1799. He was a member of the Virginia Privy Council from 1799 to 1801, and was elected to the Seventh and to the seven succeeding Congresses; during the Tenth Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business.

Clopton was a leading proponent of strict constructionist views in the House, standing as one of the few representatives who opposed the Second Bank of the United States on constitutional grounds. He served from March 4, 1801, until his death near Tunstall on September 11, 1816; interment was in the family burying ground on his plantation. Future President John Tyler was elected to fill the vacancy caused by Clopton's death.

Personal life

He married Sarah Bacon on May 15, 1784, daughter of Edmund Bacon and Elizabeth Edloe. They had several children: Izard (1785–?), Maria L. Adelaide (1788–?), John Bacon (1789–1860), William Edmund (1791–1848), and Sarah Elizabeth (1804–1843).

See also

References

  • United States Congress. "John Clopton (id: C000531)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.


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