William Anderson (Pennsylvania politician)
American politician (1762-1829)
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William Anderson (1762 – December 15 or 16, 1829) was an American politician who served as a Democratic-Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1809 to 1815 and from 1817 to 1819. He served as a major in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
William Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1815 | |
| In office March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1819 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1762 |
| Died | December 15 or 16, 1829 Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Old St. Paul's Church Cemetery, Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic-Republican |
Early life and military service
Anderson was born in Virginia in 1762. During the American Revolutionary War, he joined the Continental Army at the age of fifteen and served until the end of the war. He was a major on the staff of General Lafayette and distinguished himself at the Battle of Germantown and the Siege of Yorktown.[1]
Career
In 1796, Anderson entered the hotel business through the purchase of the Columbia House in Chester, Pennsylvania.[2] He served as postmaster in Chester from 1797 to 1798,[3] Delaware County auditor in 1804, and county director of the poor in 1805. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth Congresses.[1]
In 1824, he served as chairman of the Delaware County committee to receive General Lafayette during his visit to the United States[4] and hosted Lafayette at his home in Chester.[5]
He was appointed as an associate judge of the Courts of Delaware County[6] on January 5, 1826, and resigned in 1828 to become an inspector of customs in Philadelphia.[4]
He died either December 15,[2] or December 16, 1829, in Chester, Pennsylvania,[1] and was interred in Old St. Paul's Church Cemetery.[1]
Slaveholding
Anderson owned enslaved persons.[7] In 1780, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed An Act for the Gradual Aboliton of Slavery. It required the registration of all slaves by November 1, 1780. All persons born after that date were free except for the children of registered slaves who would be servants of their parents owners until they reached 28 years of age.[8] A further act of the Assembly in 1798, required the registration of all children born of slaves within six months of their birth. On July 2, 1806, Anderson registered a "male mulatto bastard child" named Francis.[9]
Personal life
He was married to Elizabeth Dixon and together they had three children.[10] Their daughter Evelina married Commodore David Porter.[4]