Robert WHITEHILL, Congress, PA (1738-1813)

WHITEHILL, Robert, (brother of John Whitehill and uncle of James Whitehill), a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Pequea, Lancaster County, Pa., July 21, 1738; attended the common schools; settled in Cumberland County; member of the State constitutional convention in July 1776 that approved the Declaration of Independence; member of the council of safety in 1777; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1790; member of the State house of representatives 1797-1800; served in the State senate 1801-1804, and was speaker of the senate in 1804 during the impeachment trials of the supreme court judges of Pennsylvania; elected as a Republican to the Ninth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John A. Hanna; reelected to the Tenth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from November 7, 1805, until his death at Lauther Manor, Cumberland County, Pa., April 8, 1813; interment in the Silver Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Hampden Township, near Camp Hill, Pa.

Bibliography

Crist, Robert Grant. Robert Whitehill and the Struggle for Civil Rights: A Paper Presented Before the Hamilton Library and Historical Association of Cumberland County, Carlisle, Pa., on March 20, 1958. Lemoyne, Pa.: Lemoyne Trust Co., 1958.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present