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| John Rutherfoord | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting Governor of Virginia | |
| In office March 31, 1841 – March 31, 1842 | |
| Preceded by | John M. Patton |
| Succeeded by | John Munford Gregory |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Richmond City | |
| In office December 4, 1826 – December 1, 1834 | |
| Preceded by | Jacqueline B. Harvie |
| Succeeded by | Chapman Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Rutherfoord (1792-12-06)December 6, 1792 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 1866(1866-08-03) (aged 73) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
John Rutherfoord (December 6, 1792 – August 3, 1866) was an American political figure. He served as Acting Governor of Virginia between 1841 and 1842. He was the brother-in-law of Edward Coles.
Biography
Rutherfoord graduated from Princeton University in 1816, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He served in a militia unit called the Richmond Fayette Artillery, advancing through the ranks from captain to regimental commander with the rank of colonel.
He became president of the Mutual Assurance Society, Virginia's first insurance company. Originally a Democratic-Republican, and later a Whig, and then a Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from December 1826 to March 1834. Rutherfoord was a member of the state Executive Council from 1839 to 1841.
In 1841 Governor Thomas Walker Gilmer resigned to accept election to a seat in the United States House of Representatives. His place was taken by John M. Patton, who was first in the line of succession as the Executive Council's senior member. Patton served just 12 days before he resigned. Having been designated as the senior member of the Executive Council, Rutherfoord then succeeded to the governorship.
Rutherfoord served one year, from March 31, 1841, to March 31, 1842. Upon his resignation, he was succeeded by another Executive Council member, John Munford Gregory, who completed the term to which Gilmer had been elected.
After resigning from the governorship, Rutherfoord returned to his business interests. He died in Richmond on August 3, 1866, and was buried in Richmond's Shockoe Hill Cemetery.
References
- A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Rutherfoord, 1841-1842 at The Library of Virginia
- John Rutherford at National Governors Association
- The Peculiar Democracy: Southern Democrats in Peace and Civil War. Wallace Hettle. 2001.
- History of Virginia from Settlement of Jamestown to Close of the Civil War. Robert Alonzo Brock, Virgil Anson Lewis. 1888.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn M. Patton Acting Governor |
Acting Governor of Virginia 1841–1842 |
Succeeded byJohn Munford Gregory Acting Governor |
- 1792 births
- 1866 deaths
- Princeton University alumni
- Virginia lawyers
- American militia officers
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Governors of Virginia
- Virginia Democratic-Republicans
- Virginia Whigs
- Virginia Democrats
- Politicians from Richmond, Virginia
- Democratic Party governors of Virginia
- 19th-century American lawyers
- 19th-century American businesspeople
- Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia
- American businesspeople in insurance
- 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly