University of Virginia Library

GOVERNORS OF VIRGINIA.

WYNDHAM ROBERTSON.

The subject of this sketch was the son of William Robertson and Christina
Williams, his wife, and was born on the 26th of January, 1803, in the
city of Richmond. He attended private schools in his native city, and completed
his education at William and Mary College in the year 1821. Studied
law and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Was elected a member of the
Council of the State in 1833, and on the 31st of March, 1836, became the
senior member of the Council, and as such Lieutenant-Governor of the State,

Wyndham Robertson.

and upon the resignation of Governor Tazewell, in
the same year, he became Governor of Virginia. Governor
Robertson was a Whig in politics, and the
Legislature being Democratic, he was succeeded as
Governor of Virginia in 1837 by David Campbell, of
Abingdon. Upon the expiration of the term of his
office, in March, 1837, he retired to the country home
of his wife, "Mary's Meadows," near to and south of
Abingdon (his wife was Mary Trigg Smith, daughter
of Captain Francis Smith, of Washington county),
where he lived until 1858, when he returned to Richmond,
and in 1860 was elected a member of the House
of Delegates of Virginia from Richmond city. He
was opposed to Virginia's seceding from the Union, and did all he could to
prevent the war between the States, but after the proclamation of Lincoln
calling for troops from Virginia, he was from that time forth zealously
active in all measures for the defence of his State. After the war he removed
to Abingdon, where he died, on the 11th day of February, 1888, and
his remains were interred at Cobbs, Chesterfield county. He was a man of
excellent manners and of considerable ability. He was survived by his wife
and the following children: Frank S. Robertson, Wyndham Robertson,
Mrs. James L. White, Mrs. Connally F. Trigg and Mrs. W. W. Blackford.

DAVID CAMPBELL.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest son of John Campbell and Elizabeth
McDonald, his wife, of Hall's Bottom, Washington county, Virginia,
and was born on the 2d of August, 1779, at Royal Oak (now in Smyth
county), and was about eight years of age when his father removed to Hall's
Bottom. There he grew up, receiving such education as the frontier settlements
could provide. In the year 1794, in his fifteenth year, he was appointed
an ensign in Captain John Davis' company of militia. In 1799 he
was commissioned a captain of a company of light infantry assigned to the
Seventieth Regiment of Militia, and in the fall of the same year he married
his cousin, Mary Hamilton. He studied law, and was licensed, but never

practised his profession. In 1802 he was appointed deputy clerk of the
County Court of Washington county, and chiefly discharged the duties of
the office to the year 1812. On the 6th of July, 1812, he was commissioned
a major in the Twelfth Regiment of Infantry, United States army, and
marched with the forces to the lakes of Canada, where he served under
Generals Alexander Smyth and Van Rensselaer. On the 12th of March,
1813, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Thirtieth Regiment,
where he served until the year 1814, when he resigned his commission. Upon
his return home he entered the service of Virginia as aide-de-camp to Governor
Barbour, and gave valuable assistance in organizing the large military
forces called into the service in the summer of 1814. In the year 1815 he
was elected by the General Assembly as general of the Third Brigade of the
Virginia Militia. On the 25th of January, 1815, he was appointed colonel
of the Third Virginia Cavalry, and was afterwards transferred to the Fifth

David Campbell.

Regiment of Cavalry. Upon his return to Abingdon,
he entered the clerk's office, where he remained until
1820, when he was elected a member of the State Senate
from the Abingdon district for the term of four years.
In 1824 he was elected clerk of the County Court of
Washington county, which position he occupied until
he took his seat as Governor of Virginia, on the 31st
of March, 1837. Governor Campbell, at the time of
his election, was a Jackson Democrat, but while Governor,
and during the administration of President Van
Buren, the sub-treasury scheme and the standing army
bill, as they were commonly called, were made party
measures, and being opposed to them, he warmly supported General Harrison
in the presidential campaign of 1840, and ever after acted with the
Whig party. Governor Campbell, in his first message to the General Assembly,
proposed the establishment of the common school system, of which he
was one of the earliest advocates. Upon his retirement from the position
of Governor of the Commonwealth, he was commissioned a justice of the
peace for Washington county, and was diligent in the discharge of his
duties as such until the year 1852, when he retired to private life, after
having spent nearly one-half a century in the public service. In person
Governor Campbell was about five feet eleven inches in height, spare and
erect in carriage, with dark hair and eyes and intellectual countenance and
pleasing manners. He died at "Mont Calm," his home, now the home of
Colonel Cummings, on March 19th, 1859, without issue, and his remains
were interred in Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia.

JOHN BUCHANAN FLOYD.

The subject of this sketch was the eldest son of Governor John and Laetitia
Preston Floyd. He was born at Smithfield (now Blacksburg, Montgomery
county, Virginia,) June 1st, 1806. Graduated at the College of
South Carolina in 1826. Studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1828,
and began practise in his native county. Settled in Washington county in

1839. In 1847 he was elected a member of the House of Delegates from
Washington county, and while a member of the House of Delegates he was
elected Governor of Virginia, of which office he took charge on January 1st,
1849. The Washington monument, which graces the public square in Richmond,

John B. Floyd.

was authorized and commenced during the
term of office of Governor Floyd. The corner-stone
was laid on the 22d of February, 1850, in the presence
of a large concourse of people, among the number
being Zachary Taylor, President of the United
States. Governor Floyd was elected a member of the
House of Delegates from Washington county in
1855, served as a presidential elector in 1856,
was appointed Secretary of War in the Cabinet
of James Buchanan in March, 1857, and served until
December 20th, 1860, when he resigned and became
an earnest advocate of secession. He was appointed
brigadier-general in the Confederate States army on May 23d, 1861, and
served with distinction through the war. He was chief in command at Fort
Donaldson when it was besieged by General Grant, but made his escape from
the fort on February 15th, 1862, with 3,000 men. He was commissioned a
major-general by the General Assembly of Virginia, and was authorized to
raise a division of troops from among the classes not embraced in the conscription
acts of the Southern Confederacy. He died August 26th, 1863, at
Abingdon. He married in early life Sarah Buchanan Preston, daughter of
General Francis Preston, and died without issue. His remains were interred
in Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia.