William Byrd (2)

Michael A. Lofaro (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)

Ed. by Emory Elliott, University of California, Riverside
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.1: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Colonial Period, 1604-1783.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Scott Slawinski (Western Michigan University)

Dates

Born 28 Apr 1674
Died 26 Aug 1744
Activity 1694-1744

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Activities

Primary

Colonist
Historian / Chronicler
Letter-writer/ Diarist

Other

Librarian

Resources

Byrd's Works

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Born the first child of William Byrd the elder and Mary Horsmanden in 1674, William was designated as his father's successor in business and politics. In 1681 he was sent to England to be educated, to learn the world of business and trade, and to become a lawyer. As his father intended, Byrd soon became a polished gentleman with the training necessary to carry on his father's lucrative Indian, colonial, and trans-Atlantic trade. In 1696 he followed Cotton Mather as the second American elected to the Royal Society, the preeminent scientific body of the day. That same year he returned briefly to Virginia, was elected to the House of Burgesses, and sailed back to England to represent the colony before the Board of Trade, a position he held until 1702.

When Byrd returned to Virginia to claim

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656 words

Citation: Lofaro, Michael A.. "William Byrd (2)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 October 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=680, accessed 22 November 2024.]