James Barbour - House of Delegates

House of Delegates

Barbour was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1796. He was the youngest member of the House. During his tenure, Barbour was known for his eloquent speech. He served on many committees in the House and even as chairman on several committees, including the Committee of Privileges and Elections and the Finance Committee. He held the role of Speaker of the House of Delegates – a seat he held for many terms. During these years, Barbour held strong to his Virginian Republican beliefs. He vigorously opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and used his known skills in rhetoric to support the Virginia Resolutions. Barbour believed the Acts and their supporters to be a threat to the United States, stating “to make an expected attack from abroad a pretext for attacking the principles of liberty at home has drawn aside the curtain and clearly illuminated for all who are willing to see.” Holding strong to the ideals on which the U.S. was formed, Barbour refused to support any act he believed to give the Executive unchecked powers. Among his acts in the House of Delegates, Barbour believed his greatest to be the Act which provided for the Literary Fund of Virginia. The Act, passed on February 2, 1810, provided funding for public education in each county in the Commonwealth. Barbour strongly believed society would progress only through education. Barbour later requested that the only inscription on his tombstone be a reference to this Act. Like many of his time, Barbour was a figure who to the modern mind appears conflicted, if not hypocritical. While believing society could progress through education, he also believed intellectual abilities were connected with landownership.