James Pleasants

James Pleasants Jr.
James Pleasants Jr.
22nd Governor of Virginia
	In office; December 1, 1822 – December 10, 1825
Preceded by	Thomas M. Randolph, Jr.
Succeeded by	John Tyler, Jr.
United States Senator; from Virginia
	In office; December 14, 1819 – December 15, 1822
Preceded by	John W. Eppes
Succeeded by	John Taylor
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Virginia's 17th district
	In office; March 4, 1813 – December 14, 1819
Preceded by	Thomas Gholson, Jr.
Succeeded by	William S. Archer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Virginia's 16th district
	In office; March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813
Preceded by	John W. Eppes
Succeeded by	John W. Eppes
7th Clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates
	In office; December 6, 1802 – March 4, 1811
Preceded by	William Wirt
Succeeded by	William Munford
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Goochland County
	In office; December 1797 – December 6, 1802
Preceded by	John Guerrant Jr.
Succeeded by	James Carter
Personal details
Born	October 24, 1769; Cold Comfort, Goochland County (now Powhatan County), Colony of Virginia, British America
Died	November 9, 1836 (aged 67); Contention, Goochland County, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Susanna Lawson Rose
Children	John Hampden Pleasants
Alma mater	College of William and Mary
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Signature

James Pleasants Jr. (October 24, 1769 – November 9, 1836)^[1] was an American politician who served in the U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1822 and was the 22nd Governor of Virginia from 1822 to 1825.

Biography

Pleasants was born at "Cold Comfort," in Goochland County (later separated as Powhatan County) in the Colony of Virginia on October 24, 1769. He pursued classical studies and graduated from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Amelia County, Virginia in 1791.

Pleasants was the son of James Pleasants and Ann Randolph, the daughter of Isham Randolph of Dungeness and granddaughter of William Randolph.^[2] His sister was Susan.^[2]

Pleasants was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1797–1802 and clerk of the house of delegates 1803–1811. On January 30, 1811, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals but resigned almost immediately. Pleasants was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Twelfth and the four succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1811, to December 14, 1819, when he resigned, having been elected a United States Senator. Pleasants served as chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures (Thirteenth Congress), Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy (Fifteenth Congress).

He was elected on December 10, 1819, as a Democrat-Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John W. Eppes and served from December 14, 1819, to December 15, 1822, when he resigned. He was chair of the Naval Affairs Committee (Sixteenth and Seventeenth Congresses). He was chosen as Governor of Virginia, serving 1822–1825. Pleasants was a delegate to the State constitutional conventions in 1829 and 1830. He retired and lived on his estate, "Contention," near Goochland, Goochland County, Virginia, where he died on November 9, 1836. He was buried on his estate. His brother-in-law and law partner, Eugene C. Massie, named his son James Pleasants Massie after Pleasants. The name has been handed down now to a total of four generations.

His son John Hampden Pleasants (1797–1846) founded the Richmond Whig newspaper, married twice, and later died in a duel with Thomas Ritchie, Jr.^[3]

Pleasants is the namesake of a residence hall at William and Mary.^[4] Pleasants County, West Virginia, was named after him in 1851.

References

^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). "Governors of the State". Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 49.
^ ^a ^b Page, Richard Channing Moore (1893). "Randolph Family". Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia (2 ed.). New York: Press of the Publishers Printing Co. pp. 263–264.
^ "A Guide to the Pleasants family Papers, 1745–1898 Pleasants family Papers, 1745–1898". virginia.edu. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
^ "William & Mary – Giles, Pleasants & Preston Halls". Wm.edu. Retrieved July 2, 2016.

External links

A Guide to the Governor James Pleasants Executive Papers, 1822–1825 at The Library of Virginia

United States Congress. "James Pleasants (id: P000386)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by John W. Eppes	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 16th congressional district March 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813	Succeeded by John W. Eppes
Preceded by Thomas Gholson, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 17th congressional district March 4, 1813 – December 14, 1819	Succeeded by William S. Archer
U.S. Senate
Preceded by John W. Eppes	U.S. senator (Class 2) from Virginia December 14, 1819 – December 15, 1822 Served alongside: James Barbour	Succeeded by John Taylor
Political offices
Preceded by Thomas M. Randolph	Governor of Virginia December 1, 1822 – December 10, 1825	Succeeded by John Tyler, Jr.