Representative Robert Henry Whitelaw

Robert Henry Whitelaw (January 30, 1854 – July 27, 1937) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and a long-serving attorney and public official in Cape Girardeau County. He was born on a farm near Lloyds, Essex County, Virginia, on January 30, 1854. In 1856 he moved with his father to Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, where he spent much of his childhood in the developing river community along the Mississippi. In 1866 he returned to Essex County, Virginia, reconnecting with his native state during his adolescent years in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.

Whitelaw was educated in private schools in Tappahannock and Staunton, Virginia, institutions that prepared him for professional study at a time when formal public education in the South was still recovering from wartime disruption. He subsequently enrolled in the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, one of the leading law schools in the Midwest, where he undertook formal legal training. After completing his legal studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1873.

In 1873 Whitelaw commenced the practice of law in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, marking the beginning of a legal career that would span more than five decades. That same year he served as city attorney of Cape Girardeau, an early indication of the confidence placed in his legal abilities and his emerging role in local public affairs. He quickly advanced within the regional legal community and became a prominent figure in the administration of justice in southeastern Missouri.

Whitelaw served as prosecuting attorney of Cape Girardeau County from 1874 to 1878. In that capacity he was responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases and the representation of the county’s interests in court, gaining extensive courtroom experience and a public reputation that would support his later political career. His work as a county prosecutor coincided with a period of growth and modernization in Cape Girardeau, and he played a visible role in maintaining law and order as the area developed.

Building on his local prominence, Whitelaw entered state politics and served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives in 1883 and again in 1887. As a state legislator, he represented his district in Jefferson City during a period of expanding railroad development, agricultural change, and post-Reconstruction political realignment in Missouri. His legislative service strengthened his ties to the Democratic Party and broadened his experience in public policy and governance.

Whitelaw was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative James P. Walker. He was chosen in a special election and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from November 4, 1890, to March 3, 1891, representing Missouri. His brief tenure in Congress placed him in Washington during debates over tariffs, federal spending, and economic policy at the close of the Benjamin Harrison administration. He was not a candidate for election in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress, and his service concluded at the expiration of the term to which he had been specially elected.

After leaving Congress, Whitelaw resumed the practice of law in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He continued as an active member of the local bar for many years, maintaining a substantial practice and remaining a respected figure in civic and legal circles. In 1927 he retired from active law practice and moved to Blodgett, Missouri, marking the end of his long professional engagement in Cape Girardeau.

In his later years, Whitelaw relocated again, moving in 1934 to Blytheville, Mississippi County, Arkansas. He resided there until his death on July 27, 1937. Following his death, his remains were returned to Missouri, and he was interred in Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, the community where he had spent the greater part of his legal and public career.