Robert Carter I | |
|---|---|
 Portrait at Shirley Plantation, before 1726 | |
| Royal Governor of Virginia | |
| In office 1726–1727 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Drysdale |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Gooch |
| 25th Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses | |
| In office 1696–1697 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Ludwell |
| Succeeded by | William Randolph |
| In office 1699–1699 | |
| Preceded by | William Randolph |
| Succeeded by | Peter Beverley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1664 Corotoman Plantation, Lancaster County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | 4 August 1732 (aged 69) Lancaster County, Virginia, British America |
| Spouse(s) | Judith Armistead Elizabeth Landon Willis |
| Children | 15, including Landon Carter, Charles Carter (of Cleve) |
Colonel Robert Carter I (c. 1664 – 4 August 1732) was a planter, merchant, and government official and administrator who served as Acting Governor of Virginia, Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and President of the Virginia Governor's Council. An agent for the Northern Neck Proprietary, Carter emerged as the wealthiest Virginia colonist and received the sobriquet "King" from his contemporaries connoting his autocratic approach and political influence.[1]
Born around 1664 at Corotoman in Lancaster County, Carter received a classical education and studied the tobacco trade in London.[2] After returning to Virginia, he was elected a burgess in 1691 and represented the electoral constituency of Lancaster County consecutively during the 1695 to 1699 assemblies. He served as Speaker from 1696 to 1697 and in 1699 and Treasurer of Virginia from 1699 to 1705. Appointed to the Governor's Council by Francis Nicholson in 1699, Carter opposed Nicholson's policies in 1704 and influenced the governor's removal in 1705.
Carter was appointed agent of the Northern Neck Proprietary in 1702 though lost the lease to his political opponent, Edmund Jenings, in 1711.[3] He regained the proprietary in 1722 and was involved in the dismissal of Alexander Spotswood. In 1726, he was designated President of the Governor's Council and appointed Acting Governor when his predecessor died in office.[4] Afflicted with gout in later life, Carter died on August 4, 1732, at Corotoman.
- ^ Berkeley, Edmund (2006). "Robert Carter (ca. 1664-August 1732)". Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Vol. 3. p. 84. also available at https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/carter-robert-ca-1664-1732/
- ^ Mesrobian, Jamie Elizabeth (1 January 2009). "An Analysis of Primary Resources Used as Tools for Discovery and Research at Archaeological Sites: Nomini Hall Case Study". Theses, Dissertations & Honors Papers: 4–5.
- ^ Knight, Thomas Daniel (2021). "Edmund Jenings (1659–1727)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Brock, Robert Alonzo (1888). Virginia and Virginians, Vol. I, p. 40. Richmond and Toledo: H.H. Hardesty.