Lieutenant Governor Sir William Gooch noticed that Burwell returned to Virginia with a reserved and haughty manner that did not favorably impress his fellow colonists. Nevertheless, in 1742 Burwell was elected to the House of Burgesses from Gloucester County and named to the Committees of Privileges and Elections and of Propositions and Grievances. After serving in the short session that met from May 6 to June 19, he joined the top ranks of Virginia leadership. On February 10, 1743, King George II appointed Burwell to the governor's Council. He took his seat on August 4, 1743, and remained a councillor until his death thirteen years later.
Time Line
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1711–1712 - In one of these two years, Lewis Burwell is born at Fairfield, the residence on Carter's Creek in Gloucester County of his parents, Elizabeth Carter Burwell and her first husband, Nathaniel Burwell.
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1722–1729 - Sent to England by his guardian, Robert "King" Carter, according to the directions of his father's will, Lewis Burwell attends Eton.
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1724 - Elizabeth Carter Burwell, mother of Lewis Burwell by her first husband, marries George Nicholas, a Williamsburg physician.
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1729–1733 - Lewis Burwell attends Gonville and Caius College of Cambridge University. He does not take a degree.
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February 1733 - Lewis Burwell possibly begins the study of law in London at the Inner Temple a few months before returning to Virginia.
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October 1736 - During the third week of the month, Lewis Burwell marries Mary Willis. The couple will have two or three sons and three daughters.
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May 6–June 19, 1742 - Lewis Burwell serves in the House of Burgesses representing Gloucester County and sits on the Committees of Privileges and Elections and of Propositions and Grievances.
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February 10, 1743 - King George II appoints Lewis Burwell to the governor's Council.
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August 4, 1743–May 6, 1756 - Lewis Burwell begins service on the governor's Council. He remains on the Council until his death in 1756.
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May 1746 - Mary Willis, the wife of Lewis Burwell, dies.
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November 14, 1750 - At the death of Thomas Lee, Lewis Burwell becomes the senior member of the governor's Council, and because the governor and lieutenant governor are both out of Virginia, he serves as acting governor.
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Spring 1751 - Prompted by ill health, Lewis Burwell visits one of the medicinal springs in western Virginia.
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November 21, 1751 - With the arrival of Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Lewis Burwell, the senior member of the governor's Council, ends his service as acting governor.
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May 6, 1756 - Lewis Burwell dies at Fairfield in Gloucester County and is buried probably in the family cemetery there. His remains will be moved later to the yard of Abingdon Church.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Shrock, R., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Lewis Burwell (1711 or 1712–1756). (2015, November 30). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Burwell_Lewis_1711_or_1712-1756_gt.
- MLA Citation:
Shrock, Randall and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Lewis Burwell (1711 or 1712–1756)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: July 27, 2010 | Last modified: November 30, 2015
Contributed by Randall Shrock and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Randall Shrock is a professor of history at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.