John Taliaferro

John Taliaferro (1768 – August 12, 1852) was a 19th century politician, lawyer and librarian from Virginia, serving several non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 19th Century. Early life and education Born on "Hays" near Fredericksburg, Virginia, Taliaferro attended the common schools as a child. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing practice in Fredericksburg. Career Taliaferro was elected a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1800, serving from 1801 to 1803. In 1811 he was elected again and served until 1813. His seat was at first declared for his opponent, John Hungerford, but after a lengthy investigation and official rulings as to the legitimacy of the election, Taliaferro was eventually awarded the seat. The initial House committee ruled in Hungerford’s favor, but upon review the House itself decided that many ineligible voters had voted, which resulted in Hungerford’s removal from office, as the resulting vote tally from the election gave Taliferro a majority of 121 votes. In 1823, Taliaferro was elected to the House a third time, originally to fill a vacancy as a Crawford Republican, Adams Republican and Anti-Jacksonian. He served from 1824 to 1831.