Representative Benjamin Taliaferro

Benjamin Taliaferro (TOL-iv-ər; 1750 – September 3, 1821) was an American soldier, jurist, and politician who served as a United States Representative from Georgia during the early national period. Born in 1750 in what is now Amherst County, Virginia, he was a member of the Taliaferro family, an Anglo-Italian lineage that had settled in Virginia from London in the early seventeenth century. He completed preparatory studies in Virginia before entering public life through military service in the American Revolution, a formative experience that shaped his subsequent legal and political career.

During the American Revolutionary War, Taliaferro first served as a lieutenant in the rifle corps commanded by General Daniel Morgan. He was later promoted to captain and took part in the Battle of Princeton, one of the key engagements of the war’s New Jersey campaign. Demonstrating continued commitment to the Patriot cause, he volunteered to serve in Lee’s Legion under Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee. In 1780 he was captured by British forces at Charleston, South Carolina, and endured imprisonment before the war’s conclusion. His Revolutionary War record, culminating in the rank of captain, established his reputation for courage and leadership.

In 1782, Taliaferro married Martha Meriwether in Virginia. The couple had nine children together, forming a large family that would accompany or follow him as he moved southward after the war. Following Martha Meriwether Taliaferro’s death, he married a second time and had a tenth child with his second wife. These family ties connected him to influential networks in both Virginia and Georgia and provided a domestic foundation for his expanding public responsibilities.

After the Revolutionary War ended, Taliaferro joined the movement of veterans and settlers into the backcountry of the new republic. In 1784 he was among the pioneers who settled in Wilkes County, Georgia, on the state’s northeastern frontier. There he established a successful tobacco plantation along the Broad River and became one of the largest slaveholders in Wilkes County, integrating himself into the emerging plantation economy of the region. Trained as an attorney, he soon entered public service in Georgia’s legal system and was appointed a judge of the county court and later of the Georgia Superior Court, roles in which he helped shape the administration of justice in the young state.

Taliaferro’s political career in Georgia developed alongside his judicial work. He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly beginning in 1786, participating in the legislative affairs of the state during a period of rapid growth and frequent controversy. After Georgia reorganized its government in 1789, he was elected to the Georgia Senate and served as president of that body from 1792 to 1796, presiding over debates and legislation that affected land policy, state finances, and relations with Native American nations. In the 1790s he played an important role in resisting the state government’s Yazoo land scandal, a massive and highly contentious sale of western lands, and he was known to have engaged in at least one duel to defend his honor amid the intense political conflicts of the era. In 1795 Governor George Mathews appointed him major general of the 3rd Division of the Georgia Militia, further recognizing his military experience and leadership.

On the national stage, Taliaferro served in the United States Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Georgia constituents. He was elected as a Federalist to the Sixth Congress and then re-elected as a Republican (often identified with the Jeffersonian Republican or Democratic-Republican Party) to the Seventh Congress. His service in the U.S. House of Representatives extended from March 4, 1799, until his resignation in 1802. During his two terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process at a time when the young republic was grappling with issues of federal power, foreign policy, and the organization of its expanding territory.

Following his resignation from Congress, Taliaferro continued to play a prominent role in Georgia’s public life. He served as a delegate to the Georgia constitutional convention of 1798, helping to frame the state’s fundamental law at the close of the eighteenth century. He was again appointed as a judge of the Georgia Superior Court, reinforcing his long-standing association with the state’s judiciary. In addition, he was named a trustee of the University of Georgia, contributing to the oversight and development of one of the earliest public universities in the United States and reflecting his standing among the state’s civic leaders.

Benjamin Taliaferro spent his later years in Wilkes County, Georgia, where he had first settled in the 1780s and where his plantation, legal practice, and political base had been established. He died in Wilkes County on September 3, 1821. His legacy in Georgia was commemorated through the naming of Taliaferro County in his honor, a recognition of his military service, judicial leadership, and long tenure in state and national politics.