Henry Tazewell

Henry Tazewell
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office February 20, 1795 – December 8, 1795
Preceded by	Ralph Izard
Succeeded by	Samuel Livermore
United States Senator from Virginia
In office December 29, 1794 – January 24, 1799
Preceded by	John Taylor
Succeeded by	Wilson C. Nicholas
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Williamsburg City
In office October 21, 1782 – March 31, 1785
In office October 4, 1779 – October 1, 1781
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Brunswick County
In office October 7, 1776 – October 4, 1779
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Brunswick County
In office June 1, 1775 – May 6, 1776
Personal details
Born	(1753-11-27)November 27, 1753 Brunswick County, Virginia, British America
Died	January 24, 1799(1799-01-24) (aged 45) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Anti-Administration
Spouse	Dorothea Elizabeth Waller Tazewell
Children	Littleton Waller Tazewell Sophia Ann Tazewell
Alma mater	The College of William & Mary
Occupation	Lawyer, Politician, Judge
Profession	Law
Signature

Henry Tazewell (November 27, 1753 – January 24, 1799) was an American politician who was instrumental in the early government of Virginia, and a US senator from Virginia.^[1] He was a slave owner,^[2][3] and served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1795.

Born in Brunswick County, Virginia, Tazewell was the son of Littleton and Mary Gray Tazewell. He attended the rural schools and graduated from the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1770.

He married Dorothea Elizabeth Waller on January 13, 1774, who were the parents of Littleton Waller Tazewell,^[4] who became a senator and governor of Virginia, and a daughter, Sophia Ann.

Tazewell studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1773, and began his practice. During the American Revolutionary War, he raised and was commissioned captain of a troop of cavalry.^[5]

A member of the House of Burgesses in 1775, Tazewell was also a delegate to the Fourth Virginia Convention of 1775 and the Fifth Virginia Convention of 1776, which wrote the state constitution. From 1778 to 1785, he was a member of the Virginia General Assembly.

In 1785, Tazewell became a judge of the Virginia General Court. Elevated to its chief justice, he served from 1789 to 1793.^[5] He also served as a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, later renamed the Virginia Supreme Court, in 1793.

In 1794, Tazewell was elected to the US Senate to fill the vacancy that had been caused by the resignation of John Taylor. Re-elected in 1798, he served from December 29, 1794, to his death. He served as the president pro tempore of the Senate in 1795.

When Tennessee Senator William Blount was impeached on account of treason in 1797, Tazewell cast the lone dissenting vote against Blount's expulsion from the Senate.^{[6]: 321–2} Tazewell was one of four senators to vote against authorizing military force for the Quasi-War.^[7]

Tazewell died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 24, 1799, and is interred at Christ Church Burial Ground.

Tazewell County, Virginia;^[8] Tazewell, Virginia; Tazewell, Tennessee; New Tazewell, Tennessee; and possibly Tazewell County, Illinois are named after him.

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)

• United States Congress. "Henry Tazewell (id: T000107)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Henry Tazewell at Find a Grave