Richard Brent (politician)

Richard Brent (1757 – December 30, 1814) was an American planter, lawyer, and politician from Stafford County, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

Richard Brent
United States Senator from Virginia
In office March 4, 1809 – December 30, 1814
Preceded by	Andrew Moore
Succeeded by	James Barbour
Member of the Virginia Senate from Prince William and Fairfax Counties
In office 1808–1809
Preceded by	John C. Hunter
Succeeded by	William Tyler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 17th district
In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803
Preceded by	Leven Powell
Succeeded by	Thomas Claiborne
In office March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1799
Preceded by	Richard B. Lee
Succeeded by	Leven Powell
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Prince William County
In office 1800–1801
In office 1793–1795
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Stafford County
In office 1788–1789
Personal details
Born	1757 Stafford County, Virginia Colony, British America
Died	December 30, 1814 (aged 56–57) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican

Early and family life

Brent was born in 1757, the eldest son of William Brent (1732-1782), at his father's plantation estate, 'Richland' on the Potomac River in Stafford County in the Colony of Virginia. Nearly a century earlier George Brent had emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean to the Virginia Colony to avoid England's Civil Wars and persecution as a Catholic and established 'Woodstock' plantation; others from that prominent Catholic family would include Margaret Brent, and Eleanor Carroll, sister of the future Archbishop John Carroll, who as a priest in Maryland crossed the Potomac River to serve the Brents and other Catolics in Northern Virginia[1][2] Privately educated, Brent also read law, but never married.

Career

Admitted to the Virginia bar, Brent had a private legal practice in northern Virginia. Although Virginia had several laws (including one requiring an oath the support the Church of England, which restricted Catholics from practicing law and sitting in the legislature, those were not enforced against him. Before his birth members of the family moved to Prince William County, Virginia and established Brent Town (modern Brensville) to avoid such anti-Catholic legislation, although such mostly grew after William Brent's death, first when it became the Prince William County government seat, and later with the development of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.[3] Brent several times won election to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Stafford County in 1788 and representing Prince William County in 1793, 1794, 1800 and 1801. In 1794, Brent won election to the United States House of Representatives representing Virginia's 17th congressional district for the 4th and 5th Congresses, where he served from March 1795 to March 1799, when he returned to the Virginia House of Delegates. Brent again won election to the U.S. House and served one two-year term during the 7th Congress from March 1801 to March 1803. He served in the Virginia State Senate from 1808 to 1810.[4][5]

Following his service in the Virginia State Senate, fellow delegates elected Brent to the United States Senate, where he served from March 1809 until his death in Washington, D.C., on December 30, 1814.

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)

References

1. Daniel M. French, Brent Family: the Carroll Families of Colonial Maryland (Alexandria, Va 1981) pp. 73. Eleanor Carroll was the sister of the future Archbishop John Carroll. However, this Richard Brent's brother, Daniel Carroll Brent (1759-1815), inherited 'Richland'.
2. Virginia Biographical Dictionary, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (Somerset Publishers, 1999)
3. Gerald P. Fogarty, Commonwealth Catholicism: a history of the Catholic Church in Virginia (2002) p.
4. • United States Congress. "Richard Brent (id: B000802)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
5. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Brent". Retrieved March 5, 2017.