Forrest, Uriah, 1756-1805

Uriah Forrest (1756 – July 6, 1805) was an American statesman and military leader from Maryland. He notably served in the Continental Army before serving in the Continental Congress and the United States House of Representatives.

Born in St. Mary's County in the Province of Maryland, he received only limited schooling. During the American Revolutionary War, Forrest served in varying roles within the Maryland Line. From January until July 1776 he served as a 1st lieutenant in John Gunby's Independent Maryland Company. When this ended, he became a captain in the 3rd Battalion of the Maryland Flying Camp, until December 1776 when he was promoted to major and transferred to the 3rd Maryland Regiment. By April 1777, his unit changed yet again when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he served in "Smallwood's Battalion" until August 1779. In August 1779, he left Smallwood's unit and served as a Lieutenant Colonel as part of the 7th Maryland Regiment. He retained that position until February 23, 1781, when he resigned.

After the war, he traveled to London from St. Mary's County and stayed until 1786, when he returned to Maryland. Forrest was elected to the Maryland State House of Delegates in numerous terms and served from 1781 to 1783, 1786 to 1787, and 1787 to 1790, as a member of the Maryland State Senate from 1796 to 1800, and a State Court Judge from 1799 to 1800. Forrest was also active in politics by representing Maryland as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1787. In 1788 and 1790, he lost bids for the United States Senate. In 1791, Forrest would serve as mayor of the Town of George, now the Georgetown district of Washington, DC. In 1792, he successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives from Maryland's 3rd district; Forrest would serve as a representative from March 1793 to November 1794, when he resigned.

In 1795, Forrest was commissioned a brigadier general of Maryland Militia's Fourth Brigade in 1795 and major general of the Maryland Militia's First Division from 1795 to 1801. From 1800 until his death in 1805, he would serve as the clerk of the District of Columbia's circuit court. He died at Rosedale, his home in Georgetown, and was buried in the Presbyterian Burying Ground in Washington, DC. His remains were later disinterred, and he was reburied at Oak Hill Cemetery.