John Page Papers
Collection
Identifier: SC 00923
Letter, 14 September 1804, of John Page to [Bishop James?] Madison. Congratulates the recipient for the "happy state of affairs"under his administration.
What muse can dictate or what works express. A handwritten poem by John Page. Undated.
Copy of letter written to "Gentlemen" which concerns military commissions for Thomas Tavener and John Badgley.
English
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
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John Page (April 17, 1744 - October 11, 1808) was a figure in early United States history. He served in the U.S. Congress and as Governor of Virginia.
Page was born and lived at Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County. His great grandfather was Colonel John Page (1628-1692), an English merchant from Middlesex who emigrated to Virginia with his wife Alice Lucken Page and settled in Middle Plantation. He was the brother of Mann Page III.
John Page was graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1763, where he was a friend and the closest college classmate of Thomas Jefferson, having exchanged a great deal of correspondence. He then served under George Washington in an expedition during the French and Indian War. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1776. He also served during the American Revolutionary War as an officer in the Virginia state militia, raising a regiment from Gloucester County and supplementing it with personal funds. During that war, he attained the rank of colonel.
Page was also involved in politics. He became the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and served 1776-1779. He was then a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1781-1783 and 1785-1788. Page was elected to the First United States Congress and reelected to the Second and Third, and to the Fourth as a Republican. Overall, he was Congressman from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1797.
After his terms in Congress, he was again a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1797, 1798, 1800, and 1801. He became the Governor of Virginia in 1802 and served to 1805. After being governor, he was appointed United States commissioner of loans for Virginia and held office until his death in Richmond, Virginia on October 11, 1808.
He was interred in St. John's Churchyard in Richmond. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .
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Provenance of letter is unknown. Poem is a gift from Oscar Shuewmaker in May 1948. Copy of the letter to "Gentlemen" is a gift of Mrs. Page Claggett.
Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository