Robert Oliver (soldier)

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Robert Richard Oliver (1738–1810 or 1811) was a lieutenant colonel in the American Revolutionary War[1][2] and a representative and president of the council of the Northwest Territory's first general assembly.[3][4]

Early life[edit]

Oliver was born in Boston[5] to Irish immigrants. In 1763, he married Mary Walker of Worcester.

Revolutionary War[edit]

He enlisted as a lieutenant of a company of Minutemen in April 1775. Oliver was promoted to captain in the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment in 1776, major in the 2nd Massachusetts[6] in November 1777 or 3rd Massachusetts (November 1, 1777–January 1, 1783)[7] and lieutenant colonel in the militia in 1779.[1] Major Oliver was assigned to the 2nd Massachusetts from January 1 to November 3, 1783.[7] He served under Colonel Rufus Putnam, and his service was applauded by Baron von Steuben.[2] He retired in November 1783 as a brevet lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts.[1][5]

The Library of Congress possesses a number of letters from Oliver to George Washington, David Humphreys (an aide de camp to Washington), William Heath and others, as well as letters to Oliver.[8] For example, Major Oliver and other officers of the Massachusetts Line signed a June 13, 1779, letter to George Washington regarding issues they had with how promotions were being handled.[9]

Oliver is an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati.[10]

Post-war[edit]

After the war, Oliver moved to the Northwest Territory. He was appointed a justice of the peace of Washington County in 1788,[11] and a major of the county militia the following year.[1] He was also a judge on the Court of Common Pleas (dates unknown).[4] He invested in the Ohio Company of Associates, purchasing two shares, and was elected its president in 1801.[5] A May 10, 1792, proclamation granted Oliver, Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler and Griffin Green 214,285 acres (86,718 ha) for "warrants ... issued for army bounty rights".[1]

He was elected as a representative of Washington County after the formation of the first territorial legislature in 1798,[6] also serving as the president of the council (1779–1803).[4] He ran for the Ohio Senate as a Federalist in 1803 (the year Ohio became a state), but came in fifth.[12] He was second in an 1807 election for Washington County commissioner.[13]

He died in Marietta, Ohio, in 1810[5] or 1811.[1][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Proclamation, 10 May 1792". National Historic Publications & Records Commission, National Archives.
  2. ^ a b Hildreth, S. P.; Badgley, C. Stephen (June 15, 2011). Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio. Badgley Publishing Company. p. 317. ISBN 9780615501895 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Chase, Salmon Portland, ed. (1833). The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted Or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress, Volume 1. Corey & Fairbank. p. 287.
  4. ^ a b c Andrews, Israel Ward (1877). Washington County, and the Early Settlement of Ohio: Being the Centennial Historical Address, Before the Citizens of Washington County. P. G. Thomson. p. 76.
  5. ^ a b c d "To George Washington from Rufus Putnam, 5 April 1784". National Historic Publications & Records Commission, National Archives.
  6. ^ a b "George Washington, January 17, 1783, General Orders". Library of Congress.
  7. ^ a b Heitman, Francis B. (1914). "Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution: April, 1775, to December, 1783" (PDF). The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company. p. 37.
  8. ^ "Search results for "Robert Oliver" in the Library of Congress". Library of Congress.
  9. ^ "To George Washington from Officers of the Massachusetts Line, 13 June 1779". founders.archives.gov.
  10. ^ Drake, Francis Samuel (1873). "Memorials of the Society of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts".
  11. ^ "Wolf Bounty". Legacy Library, Marietta College. August 28, 1788.
  12. ^ "Ohio 1803 State Senate, Washington County". Digital Collections and Archives at Tufts University.
  13. ^ "Ohio 1807 Commissioner, Washington County, 3 Years". Digital Collections and Archives at Tufts University.
  14. ^ The tombstone shown on his Find a Grave entry states 1811.
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