Harper, Robert Goodloe, 1765-1825

American general and senator.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Baltimore, to Jas. V. Henry, Esq., 1818 Jan. 5. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270498398

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Cambridge, to "Gentlemen", 1788 June 7. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270498983

American politician.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Charleston, to Harry Clymer, in Philadelphia, 1789 March 20. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270499097

Baltimore lawyer and politician.

From the description of Letters received by Robert Goodloe Harper [manuscript], 1806-1824. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647843211

Harper served as a congressman from South Carolina from 1794-1801, after which he practiced law in Baltimore. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1816, but resigned in 1817.

From the description of Letter to Robert E. Griffith, 27 January 1813. (Harvard Law School Library). WorldCat record id: 234340267

Harper was an American Revolutionary War soldier; Princeton University graduate; Member of South Carolina state legislature; Member of U. S. Congress (1795-1801); unsuccessful Federalist candidate for Vice President (1816).

From the description of Letter : Baltimore, to Harrison Gray Otis, 1800 Aug 28. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78380907

From the description of Letter : Baltimore, to Harrison Gray Otis, 1800 Aug 28. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702148299

Robert Goodloe Harper was a Southern lawyer and Federalist politician. Born in Virginia and raised in South Carolina, he served in the Revolutionary War at the age of fifteen. After graduating from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) he studied law and taught school until admitted to the bar. While practicing law, he became a state Representative in South Carolina and then member of the United States House of Representatives. He later moved to Maryland, and served with distinction in the War of 1812. He was elected United States Senator from Maryland, and ran unsuccessfully for Vice President on the Federalist ticket.

From the description of Robert Goodloe Harper letter to Mathew Carey, 1825 Jan. 10. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 60678035

U.S. Representative from South Carolina and a U.S. Senator from Maryland; Federalist; born near Fredericksburg, Va.; 1785 graduate of Princeton; served as Secretary of the Yazoo Land Company.

From the description of Robert Goodloe Harper papers, 1788-1812. (University of South Carolina). WorldCat record id: 713368047

Early South Carolina congress member Robert Goodloe Harper (1765-1825), son of Jesse Harper and Diana Goodloe, was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia, and grew up in North Carolina. At age 15, Harper joined a volunteer cavalry corps and fought in the Revolutionary War. After the war, Harper continued his education and graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1785. He was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1786 and was practicing in Charleston by 1789. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1790-1795, and was elected by South Carolina to the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th United States House of Representatives as a Federalist (February 1795 to March 1801). Harper was an influential congress member and acted as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means (5th and 6th congresses). While in the House, he was also interested in western land policies and was considered one of the most knowledgeable House members on foreign affairs. In the late 1790s, however, he became intensely xenophobic and vocally anti-French. His 1797 Observations on the Dispute Between the United States and France warned against the influence of French radicalism in America. The volume was popular enough to have multiple printings and was distributed in Europe and Great Britain. His xenophobia later manifested itself in his participation with the American Colonization Society, in which he had a leadership role in 1816.

After his tenure in the House, Harper moved to Baltimore, where he continued his law practice. He fought in the War of 1812 and attained the rank of major general. He served in the Maryland State Senate and was elected to the United States Senate for the term beginning March 4, 1815, and served until December 1816, when he resigned. Harper remained active after his political career, traveling through Europe and hosting European dignitaries in Baltimore. He died there in 1825.

From the guide to the Roberto Goodloe Harper manuscript: Reflexoens sobre a questão entre os Estados Unides ea França, Harper, Roberto Goodloe manuscript: Reflexoens sobre a questão entre os Estados Unides ea França, 1798, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)