Robert Richard Oliver (1738–1810 or 1811) was a lieutenant colonel in the American Revolutionary War[1] [2] and a representative and president of the council of the Northwest Territory's first general assembly.[3] [4]
Oliver was born in Boston[5] to Irish immigrants. In 1763, he married Mary Walker of Worcester.
He enlisted as a lieutenant of a company of Minutemen in April 1775. Oliver was promoted to captain in the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment in 1776, major in the 2nd Massachusetts[6] in November 1777 or 3rd Massachusetts (November 1, 1777 - January 1, 1783)[7] and lieutenant colonel in the militia in 1779. Major Oliver was assigned to the 2nd Massachusetts from January 1 to November 3, 1783.[7] He served under Colonel Rufus Putnam, and his service was applauded by Baron von Steuben.[2] He retired in November 1783 as a brevet lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Massachusetts.[1] [5]
The Library of Congress possesses a number of letters from Oliver to George Washington, David Humphreys (an aide de camp to Washington), William Heath and others, as well as letters to Oliver.[8] For example, Major Oliver and other officers of the Massachusetts Line signed a June 13, 1779, letter to George Washington regarding issues they had with how promotions were being handled.[9]
Oliver is an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati.[10]
After the war, Oliver moved to the Northwest Territory. He was appointed a justice of the peace of Washington County in 1788,[11] and a major of the county militia the following year.[1] He was also a judge on the Court of Common Pleas (dates unknown).[4] He invested in the Ohio Company of Associates, purchasing two shares, and was elected its president in 1801.[5] A May 10, 1792, proclamation granted Oliver, Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler and Griffin Green for "warrants ... issued for army bounty rights".[1]
He was elected as a representative of Washington County after the formation of the first territorial legislature in 1798,[6] also serving as the president of the council (1779–1803).[4] He ran for the Ohio Senate as a Federalist in 1803 (the year Ohio became a state), but came in fifth.[12] He was second in an 1807 election for Washington County commissioner.[13]
He died in Marietta, Ohio, in 1810[5] or 1811.[1] [14]