Robert "King" Carter (1663-August 4, 1732) was Lieutenant Commander of the counties of Lancaster and Northumberland, 1715, and Governor of the Virginia Colony, approved by King George II in July of 1726. He owned over 300,00 acres; was a Member of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown; Colonial Treasurer; President of the Council; Speaker of the House; Chairman of the powerful Committee of Propriations and Grievances, and was acting rector of the College of William and Mary. His descendants include two U.S. Presidents, six governors of Virginia, and he was the father of Anne Hill Carter, who married Revolutionary War hero Light Horse Harry Lee, whose son was Robert E. Lee. In Lancaster County, Virginia, Robert Carter helped build Christ Church, where he served as a vestryman.
Robert Carter's son, John, who traveled to England in pursuit of an education, temporarily squandered his father's money. After accumulating numerous debts, the young Carter repented.
On July 22, 1720, Robert Carter wrote to Mr. Perry, his son's guardian in England:
<My son, I find, upon the stool of repentance. It will be well he will come to his senses at last....He begs of me to forget his past extravagances, and desires I may not insist upon a particular account from him, and that he will give me no more occasion of future complaints. Upon these terms I am willing....Thus you see I am no stranger to the story of the Gospel.> 1663RC001
On July 23, 1720, Robert Carter wrote:
<Dear Son John:
May Heaven keep you fixed to this resolution without wavering. It will prove a cordial to your heart all the days of your life. Upon these hopes I shall pass over what's past....Pray take a little more care of your brothers in England.
The rest is to beg God's blessing upon you.> 1663RC002
Robert Carters epitaph stated:
<Robert Carter, Esq., an honorable man, who exalted his high birth by noble endowments and pure morals. He sustained the College of William and Mary in the most trying times. He was Governor, Speaker of the House and Treasurer...He built and endowed at his own expense, this sacred edifice, a lasting monument of his piety to God.> 1663RC003
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1663RC001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Robert "King" Carter, July 22, 1720, in a letter to Mr. Perry in England. Louis B. Wright, editor, Letters of Robert Carter, 1720-1727 (San Marino: The Hunting Library, 1940), p. 34.
1663RC002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Robert "King" Carter, July 23, 1720, in a letter to his son John in England. Louis B. Wright, ed., Letters of Robert Carter, 1720-1727 (San Marino: The Hunting Library, 1940), p. 37.
1663RC003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Robert "King" Carter, August 4, 1732, on his epitaph in Christ Church, Lancaster County, Virginia. Louis Morton, Robert Carter of Nomini Hall, pp. 23-24.