Bryan Fairfax, 8th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
| The Lord Fairfax of Cameron | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1736 Belvoir, Virginia |
| Died | 1802 Mount Eagle, Virginia |
| Title | 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
| Tenure | 1793–1802 |
| Known for | Neighbor of George Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Cary Jennie Dennison |
| Occupation | Clergyman |
Rev. Bryan Fairfax, 8th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1736–1802) was a Scottish clergyman and peer. He was a lifelong friend of George Washington and became the first American-born holder of a British peerage.
Bryan Fairfax was the son of Col. William Fairfax (1691–1757) of Belvoir and Deborah Clarke (1708–1746). As a young man, Fairfax lived at Belvoir with his father who was the business agent for his cousin, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. His brother, George William (1729–1787) and his wife, Sally Cary Fairfax (1730–1811), also lived there and were close neighbors to George Washington's Mount Vernon. As a young man, George Washington and his brother, Lawrence Washington (1718–1752), visited the Fairfax family at Belvoir often and Lord Fairfax employed Washington to join a surveying team of his western lands, in the valley of Virginia.
In 1793, when his cousin, Robert Fairfax, 7th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, died in 1793, he initially ignored the title. However, while in England in 1798 on other business, he presented the necessary proofs to the House of Lords to claim the title. In 1800, after he had returned to Virginia, the peerage was adjudged, and he became the Eighth Lord Fairfax. After his death in 1802, his widow sued his executor, but the Supreme Court found for the executor in 1809. His son Thomas Fairfax became the 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
In 1740, he was deeded 3,400 acres (14 km2), and 1741 was deeded 232 acres (0.94 km2), at Little Run or Hunger Run.
In 1754, Bryan Fairfax clerked for his brother-in-law, John Carlyle (1720–1780), in Alexandria, Virginia, and was appointed as a deputy clerk for Fairfax County. Bryan Fairfax served as a lieutenant in George Washington's militia regiment, in George Mercer's company early in the French and Indian War, but he resigned his commission in 1756. He later served as a justice for Fairfax County at the same time as Washington. Fairfax was an avid foxhunter, and he and Washington often rode together.
...
Wikipedia