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Barbour, Barber

James Barbour - June 10, 1775 - June 7, 1842. A Senator from Virginia; born at 'Frascati,' near Gordonsville, Orange County, Virginia, June 10, 1775; attended the common schools; deputy sheriff of Orange County; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1794 at Orange Court House; served several terms in the Virginia house of delegates between 1796 and 1812, serving as speaker from 1809 to 1812; Governor of Virginia 1812-1814; elected as an Anti-Democrat and State Rights candidate to the United States Senate in 1814 for the term commencing March 4, 1815; subsequently elected to fill the vacancy in the term ending March 3, 1815, caused by the death of Richard Brent; reelected in 1821 and served from January 2, 1815, to March 7, 1825, when he resigned to accept a Cabinet portfolio; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Congresses; chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations (Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Eighteenth Congresses), Committee on the District of Columbia (Seventeenth Congress); appointed Secretary of War by President John Quincy Adams and served from March 7, 1825, to May 26, 1828, when he resigned to accept a diplomatic position; United States Minister to England from May 26, 1828, to September 23, 1829; chairman of the Whig National Convention in 1839; founder of the Orange County Humane Society, established for the advancement of education; died in Barboursville, Orange County, Va., June 7, 1842; interment in the family cemetery.

The Ruins of the James Barbour Mansion in Barboursville are a Virginia Historic Landmark. It is the remains of the mansion owned by Governor James Barbour designed by Thomas Jefferson, ruined by fire on Christmas Day, 1884. A large lawn bordered by 200-year-old American boxwood surrounds the ruins. This area is where the annual Shakespeare at the Ruins plays are staged.

Source: Barber - Barbour - Barbar Family of Eastern NC & Beyond [1]