Richard Bland

This article is about the American statesman from Virginia. For other people named Richard Bland, see Richard Bland (disambiguation).

Richard Bland
First and Second Continental Congresses as delegate from Virginia
In office
September 5, 1774 – August 12, 1775
Burgess representing Prince George County
In office
1742–1776
Serving with Francis Eppes, Stephen Dewey, Alexander Bolling, Richard Bland Jr, Peter Poythress
Preceded byRobert Munford
Succeeded byposition abolished
Personal details
BornMay 6, 1710
Prince George County, Virginia
DiedOctober 26, 1776 (1776-10-27) (aged 66)
Williamsburg, Virginia
Resting placeJordan Point Plantation, Prince George County
Alma materCollege of William and Mary Edinburgh University
Occupationplanter, lawyer, politician
Signature

Richard Bland (May 6, 1710 – October 26, 1776), sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point[1][nb 1], was an American Founding Father, planter, lawyer and politician from Virginia. A cousin and early mentor of Thomas Jefferson, Bland served 34 years in the Virginia General Assembly, and with John Robinson and this man's cousin Peyton Randolph as one of the most influential and productive burgesses during the last quarter century of the colonial period. [2]

In 1766, Bland wrote an influential pamphlet, An Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies, questioning the right of the British Parliament to impose taxes on colonists without their consent.[3] He later served in the First Continental Congress where he signed the Continental Association, a trade embargo adopted in October 1774 in opposition to Parliament's so-called Intolerable Acts.[4] Bland retired from the Second Continental Congress due to his age in August 1775, two months after the creation of the Continental Army.[5] However, he remained active in Virginia politics and helped draft a constitution for the newly-formed state in June 1776. Bland was named to Virginia's House of Delegates when it was formed in October 1776, the same month as his death.

  1. ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). "Fathers of the Revolution". Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. 2. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 4.
  2. ^ Bearss, Sara, ed. (2001). Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Vol. II. Richmond: The Library of Virginia. pp. 10–13.
  3. ^ Pate, James E. (1931). "Richard Bland's Inquiry into the Rights of the British Colonies". The William and Mary Quarterly. 11 (1): 20–28. doi:10.2307/1925086. JSTOR 1925086. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Continental Congress (October 20, 1774). "Continental Association (Articles of Association)". Founders Online (founders.archives.gov). National Archives. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "Richard Bland declined accepting the appointment of Deputy to the General Congress". digital.lib.niu.edu. Northern Illinois University Digital Library. August 12, 1775. Retrieved September 27, 2022.


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