PROMINENT PERSONS
261
veracity is brought against all of Weems'
writings, but there is no improbability ap-
parent in any of them, and indeed, there is
too much tendency to hypercritism with
many modern writers. Several of the most
widely circulated anecdotes of the youth of
Washington, especially the famous one of
the hatchet, rest on his authority. An
entertaining sketch of W'eems' early pas-
torate is given in the "Travels in America"
of John Davis, London, 1802. In this narra-
tive he figures as a pious and devout preach-
er, devoted to good works. One of his pam-
phlets, "The Philanthropist,'" was com-
mended by Washington in an autograph
letter to the author, who prefixed it to
subsequent editions of the tract. His prin-
cipal works are: "Life of George Wash-
ington," which is still largely sold in the
rural districts of many parts of the country,
and is the most popular biography of that
general in existence, Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, 1800; eleventh edition, with additions,
ir iSti: "Life of General Francis Marion/'
1805: "Life of Benjamin Franklin, with Es-
sr.ys," 1817; and "Life of William Penn,'*
1S19. Mr. Weems died in Beaufort, South
Carolina. 18 19.
Harper, Robert Goodloe, born near Fred- ericksburg, Virginia, in 1765, a son of Jesse Harper and Diana Goodloe. his wife, who in his childhood removed to Granville, North Carolina. At the age of fifteen he served under Gen. Greene, in a troop of horse com- posed of the youth of the neighborhood, dur- ing the closing scenes of the southern cam- paign of the revolution. He graduated from Princeton in 1785, studied law in Charleston. South Carolina, and was admit- ted to the bar in 1786. Shortly afterward
he removed to the interior of the state,
where he became well known through a
series of articles on a proposed change in
the constitution. He was elected to the
legislature, and later to congress, serving
from February 9, 1795, ^"^^^ March 3, 1801,
warmly supporting the administrations of
Washington and Adams. During his active
service in the war of 18 12, he was promoted
from the rank of colonel to that of major-
general. Soon after the defeat of the Fed-
eralists, he married the daughter of Charles
Carroll, of Carrollton, removed to Balti-
more, Maryland, where he attained emi-
nence at the bar. In association with Joseph
Hopkinson he was employed as counsel for
Judge Samuel Chase, of the United States
supreme court, in his impeachment trial.
At a dinner given at Georgetown. D. C,
June 5, 1813, in honor of the Russian vic-
tories, he gave as a toast "Alexander, the
Deliverer.*' following it with a speech eulo-
gizing the Russians. Upon the publication
of the speech. Robert Walsh addressed the
author a letter in which he expressed the
opinion that the orator underrated the mili-
tary character of Napoleon, and failed to
point out the danger of Russian ascendency.
To this letter Harper made an elaborate re-
ply. Walsh responded, and the correspond-
ence was then published in a volume (1814).
Harper was elected to the United States
senate from Maryland to serve from Janu-
ary 29, 1816, to March 3, 1821, but resigned
h" the first mentioned year to become one of
the Federalist candidates for vice-president.
In 1819-20 he visited Europe with his fam-
ily, and upon his return employed himself
chiefly in the promotion of schemes for in-
ternal improvements. He was an active
member of the American Colonization Soci-
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