Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter
| Robert Hunter | |
|---|---|
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| President pro tempore of the Confederate States Senate | |
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In office February 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 |
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| Preceded by | Howell Cobb (President of the Provisional Congress) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
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Confederate States Senator from Virginia |
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In office February 18, 1862 – May 10, 1865 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| 2nd Confederate States Secretary of State | |
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In office July 25, 1861 – February 18, 1862 |
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| President | Jefferson Davis |
| Preceded by | Robert Toombs |
| Succeeded by | William Browne (Acting) |
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United States Senator from Virginia |
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In office March 4, 1847 – March 28, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | William Archer |
| Succeeded by | John Carlile |
| 14th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
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In office December 16, 1839 – March 4, 1841 |
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| President |
Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison |
| Preceded by | James Polk |
| Succeeded by | John White |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th district |
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In office March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1847 |
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| Preceded by | Willoughby Newton |
| Succeeded by | Richard Beale |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th district |
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In office March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1843 |
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| Preceded by | John Roane |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Chilton |
| Member of the Virginia House of Representatives | |
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In office 1835–1837 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter April 21, 1809 Loretto, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 1887 (aged 78) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party |
Whig (Before 1844) Democratic (1844–1887) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Evelina Dandridge |
| Alma mater |
University of Virginia Winchester Law School |
Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter (April 21, 1809 – July 18, 1887) was a Virginian lawyer and politician. He was a U.S. Representative (1837–1843, 1845–1847), Speaker of the House (1839–1841), and U.S. Senator (1847–1861). During the American Civil War he was Confederate States Secretary of State (1861–1862) and then a Confederate Senator (1862–1865). After the war, he served as Treasurer of Virginia (1874–80), and customs collector in 1885 until his death.
Hunter was born in Loretto, Essex County, Virginia, the son of James Hunter and Maria (Garnett) Hunter. He was a maternal first cousin of both Robert S. Garnett and Richard B. Garnett. He entered the University of Virginia in his seventeenth year and was one of its first graduates. While he was a student, he became a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. He then studied law at the Winchester Law School, and in 1830 was admitted to the bar. From 1835 to 1837 he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
In 1837, Hunter was elected U.S. Representative as a States Rights Whig. He was re-elected in 1839, and became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives – the youngest person ever to hold that office. He was re-elected again in 1841, but was not chosen Speaker. In 1843 he was defeated for re-election.
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