SUMMARY
Richard Bland was a Virginia planter and statesman whose prolific writings on the colonial right to self-governance helped shape Virginia political opinion in the years leading up to the American Revolution (1775–1783). Bland served as a representative in the House of Burgesses (1742–1776), a member of the Virginia Committees of Correspondence (1773–1775) and Safety (1775–1776), and a delegate to five Virginia Conventions (1774–1776), and was elected to the First and Second Continental Congresses (1774–1775). A dedicated student of history and law who attended the College of William and Mary, Bland was described by Thomas Jefferson as “the most learned and logical” political leader of his generation. Bland first emerged as a defender of Virginia’s rights during the pistole fee dispute, and became well known for his resistance to British interference in Virginia government, whether from Parliament, the colonial governor, or the Church of England. A strong writer, he helped draft the Two Penny Acts of 1755 and 1758, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Virginia Constitution of 1776, in addition to other bills and documents; he also published a number of essays and pamphlets, the content of which influenced future Patriots such as Patrick Henry. His health began to fail in 1774, and by the Virginia Convention of 1776, his infirmities confined him to a relatively inconspicuous political role; he died in Williamsburg on October 26, 1776.