Representative Patrick Magruder

Patrick Magruder (1768 – December 24, 1819) was an American lawyer, politician, and librarian who served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland’s 3rd congressional district from March 4, 1805, to March 3, 1807, and as the 2nd Librarian of the United States Congress from December 26, 1807, to January 18, 1815. A member of the Republican Party representing Maryland, he contributed to the legislative process during one term in office at a formative moment in the early republic, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents.

Magruder was born in 1768 on his family’s estate, Locust Grove, near Rockville in the Province of Maryland. He was the son of Samuel Wade Magruder and Lucy Beall and came from a prominent Maryland family of Scottish descent. Through his father he was the great-grandson of Samuel Magruder, who was himself the son of Alexander Magruder, an early settler in colonial Maryland. Raised in this established planter family, he grew up in an environment that combined agricultural interests with engagement in local affairs, a background that helped prepare him for a career in law and public service.

For his education, Patrick Magruder attended Princeton College (now Princeton University), one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the early United States. His studies there provided him with a classical education and legal training that enabled him to enter the legal profession. After completing his education, he became a lawyer, establishing himself professionally at a time when legal expertise was closely tied to political leadership and public office in the new nation.

Magruder entered national politics in the early nineteenth century. In 1804, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland’s 3rd congressional district. He served in the Ninth Congress from March 4, 1805, to March 3, 1807. During his single term in Congress, he represented Maryland during a significant period in American history marked by the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, ongoing tensions with Great Britain and France, and debates over commerce, expansion, and the scope of federal power. As a Republican, he aligned with the dominant Jeffersonian political philosophy favoring limited central government and agrarian interests.

Following his service in Congress, Magruder was appointed to a key administrative and cultural position in the federal government. After the death of John J. Beckley, President Thomas Jefferson appointed him to the dual post of Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Librarian of Congress. At that time, the offices of Clerk and Librarian were combined, and they would not be separated until 1815. In this capacity, Magruder served as the 2nd Librarian of the United States Congress from December 26, 1807, to January 18, 1815, overseeing both the record-keeping functions of the House and the early development and management of the Library of Congress.

Magruder’s tenure as Librarian coincided with the War of 1812, a crisis that had profound consequences for the nation’s capital and for the Library of Congress. In August 1814, British forces invaded and burned Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol Building, where the Library of Congress was then housed. The destruction of the library’s collections, along with questions about the safeguarding of its holdings and the administration of its funds, prompted an investigation by Congress into the circumstances surrounding the loss and the use of library appropriations. In the wake of this inquiry and the controversy that followed, Magruder resigned his positions in January 1815, bringing his federal service to a close.

In his personal life, Patrick Magruder married twice. His first marriage was to Sarah Turner, and after her death or their separation he married Martha Goodwyn. Over the course of these marriages he had six children. After leaving federal office, he resided in Virginia, maintaining ties to his extended family and their properties. He died on December 24, 1819, in Petersburg, Virginia. Magruder was buried on his family’s ancestral estate, known as Sweden, near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, reflecting the continued importance of family landholdings and lineage in his life and legacy.