Josiah Clapham (also spelled Josias; died 1803) was a colonial merchant, military officer, and politician in Virginia who served as a member of the House of Burgesses and later the Virginia General Assembly, representing Loudoun County.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 89, 96, 98, 101
Biography Born in Virginia, Clapham served as a lieutenant in the Virginia militia beginning in the 1750s. Clapham had a variety of business ventures, including a water mill, warehouse, mercantile, and ferry.
In 1757, Clapham was approved with a license to operate the Potomac Crossing Ferry. He convinced the government of Virginia to approve a less expensive toll. He was one of the founding trustees of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia in 1758. In 1776, Clapham was a delegate to the Fifth Virginia Convention which established its first constitution and the Virginia Declaration of Rights. In 1778, Clapham's ferry license was discontinued. Clapham served as a member of the House of Burgesses from 1771 to 1779 and as a member of the Virginia General Assembly from 1779 to 1788.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 98, 100, 103, 106 During the American Revolutionary War, Clapham served as a colonel and member of the Loudoun County Committee of Safety.
In 1779, Clapham purchased the 200-acre Chestnut Hill estate in Loudoun County, Virginia. In 1790, Clapham was one of the first trustees of Matildaville, Virginia.Nan Netherton Netherton, Donald Sweig, Jancie Artemel, Patricia Hickin and Patrick Read, Fairfax County, Virginia: a History (Fairfax: Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, 1978) p. 206 Clapham died in 1803.
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