Robert Brooke

Robert Brooke (c. 1760February 27, 1800) was a Virginia planter, soldier, lawyer, and politician who served as the tenth Governor of Virginia as well as in the Virginia House of Delegates, and as Attorney General of Virginia at the time of his death. Early and family life Robert Brooke was the second son born to the former Anna Hay Taliaferro and her husband, Richard Brooke (1732-1792), at a family plantation (possibly "Smithfield") in Spotsylvania County in the Colony of Virginia. His birth year is uncertain; probably 1751 but possibly near 1760 or even 1761. His grandfather Robert Brooke, a skilled surveyor, had been one of Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood's "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition" and the family was influential in nearby Essex County. Brooke had at least three brothers: Dr. Lawrence Brooke, Judge Francis T. Brooke, and John T. Brooke. All became patriots in the American Revolutionary War, and the latter two also served in the Virginia General Assembly. Thus, Brooke was born into the First Families of Virginia and received a private education suitable for his class. He sailed to Scotland for further studies at Edinburgh University.