Robert Stanard
Robert Stanard was a Virginia lawyer, judge and political figure. He was the 16th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and later a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Early and family life
The son of William Stanard and Elizabeth Carter, Robert Stanard was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, on August 17, 1781. In 1798, he attended the College of William and Mary, where he studied law.Career
Admitted to the Virginia bar, Stanard began the private practice of law in Spotsylvania County and nearby Fredericksburg, Virginia through the War of 1812. Eventually he became a notable figure in the Richmond legal community.He was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as one of the representatives from Spotsylvania County, and was repeatedly re-elected. From 1816 to 1817, fellow delegates elected him as the 16th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
In 1817, he became the United States Attorney for the District of Virginia.
Stanard was later selected as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830, which revised the Constitution of Virginia. His contribution to the convention were well received and increased his prominence. In 1839, he was elected to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, upon the death of Judge William Brockenbrough. He remained on that court until his death in 1846.