| Jonathan Roberts | |
![]() |
|
|
|
|
| In office February 24, 1814 – March 3, 1821 Serving with Abner Lacock and Walter Lowrie |
|
| Preceded by | Michael Leib |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | William Findlay |
|
|
|
| In office March 4, 1811 – February 24, 1814 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert Brown, John Ross and William Milnor |
| Succeeded by | Roger Davis and Samuel Henderson |
|
|
|
| Born | August 16, 1771 Near Norristown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 24, 1854 (aged 82) King of Prussia, Pennsylvania |
| Resting place | Near Norristown |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Occupation | Farmer[1] |
| Committees | Committee on Claims Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses Committee on Public Buildings |
Jonathan Roberts (August 16, 1771 - July 24, 1854) was a United States Representative and Senator from Pennsylvania from 1811 to 1814 and 1814 to 1821 respectively.
Life and career
Roberts was born near Norristown, Pennsylvania and was educated by a private tutor.[2] He later worked as a wheelwright apprentice.[2] From 1799 to 1800 Roberts served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1807 to 1811.[2]
On March 4, 1811, he began his tenure as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district,[3] having been elected as a Democratic-Republican.[2] Working through the 12th and 13th United States Congresses he resigned on February 24, 1814, having been elected to the United States Senate to replace Michael Leib, who himself had resigned.[2] He started his service in the Senate on the same day.[2]
Re-elected in 1815 Roberts was the chairman of the Committee on Claims from the 14th through to the 16th Congress inclusive.[2] During the 16th he was also on the Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses and the Committee on Public Buildings.[2] He left the Senate on March 3, 1821.[2]
From 1823 to 1826 he was again a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and later became the collector of customs at the port of Philadelphia from 1841 to 1842.[2] In 1848, Roberts built a school in Upper Merion for poor children who had to walk some distance from mill workers' houses to their previous school.[1]
He died at the age of 82 on his farm, Robertsville, in King of Prussia, and was interned in the Roberts family cemetery near Norristown.[2]
Footnotes
Sources
- Morrison, J. "Roberts School". Upper Merion Park and Historic Foundation. http://umphf.org/history.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- "Roberts, Jonathan, (1771 - 1854)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000313. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- "Index to Politicians: Roberts, J". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/roberts5.html#R9M0JB0U9. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Brown John Ross William Milnor |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district 1811 - 1814 1811 - 1813 alongside: Robert Brown and William Rodman |
Succeeded by Roger Davis Samuel Henderson |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Michael Leib |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania 1814–1821 Served alongside: Abner Lacock, Walter Lowrie |
Succeeded by William Findlay |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Samuel C. Crafts |
Oldest living U.S. Senator November 19, 1853 - July 24, 1854 |
Succeeded by Benjamin Tappan |
|
||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)





