Pendleton, Edmund, 1721-1803

Edmund Pendleton (September 9, 1721 – October 23, 1803) was a Virginia planter, politician, lawyer and judge, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served in the Virginia legislature before and during the American Revolutionary War, rising to the position of Speaker. Pendleton attended the First Continental Congress as one of Virginia's delegates alongside George Washington and Patrick Henry, signed the Continental Association, and led the conventions both wherein Virginia declared independence (1776) and adopted the U.S. Constitution (1788).

Born in Caroline County, he was apprenticed to Benjamin Robinson, clerk of the Caroline County Court, at the age of 14. In 1737, Pendleton was made clerk of the vestry of St. Mary’s Parish in Caroline; four years later, Pendleton received a license to practice law. His success before nearby county courts, including as the prosecuting attorney for Essex County allowed Pendleton to become a member of the General Court bar in October 1745. When attorneys were forbidden to practice before both courts, Pendleton chose the General Court, and wrapped up his lower court practice— which allowed him to accept appointment as a justice of the peace for Caroline County in 1751.

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