John Johns Trigg

John Johns Trigg (1748 – May 17, 1804) was an American planter, Revolutionary War militiaman, and politician from Bedford County, Virginia, who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly before representing Virginia in the United States Congress from 1797 until his death. Born in 1748 in colonial Virginia, he came of age in the period leading up to the American Revolution and was part of the generation of local landowners who combined agricultural pursuits with public service. As a planter in Bedford County, he was embedded in the social and economic life of the region, which was characterized by tobacco cultivation and the expanding settlement of Virginia’s interior.

During the American Revolutionary War, Trigg served as a Virginia militiaman, reflecting the common pattern of local leaders taking up arms in defense of the colonies. His militia service helped establish his standing in the community and laid the groundwork for his later political career. In the postwar years, as Virginia transitioned from colony to state and the new federal union took shape, he became increasingly involved in public affairs at the state level.

Trigg’s political career in Virginia began in the General Assembly, where he served in both houses, participating in the legislative work of the Commonwealth during the formative years of the republic. As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and later the state Senate, he represented the interests of Bedford County and its surrounding region, addressing issues of state governance, finance, and the implementation of new federal structures. His service in the General Assembly placed him among the cadre of Virginia politicians who navigated the evolving relationship between state and federal authority in the 1790s.

In 1797, Trigg was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party, representing Virginia in the Fifth Congress. He would go on to serve four terms in Congress, remaining in office from 1797 until his death in 1804. His tenure coincided with a significant period in American history marked by the presidencies of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the rise of organized political parties, and intense debates over foreign policy, military preparedness, and federal taxation. As a Republican, Trigg aligned with the party that generally favored limited federal power, a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and sympathy for agrarian interests.

Trigg’s voting record in Congress reflected these Republican principles. During the first session of the Fifth Congress, he voted “Yea” on June 24 for “An act providing a Naval Armament,” supporting measures to strengthen American naval defenses at a time of mounting tensions with France. However, he opposed several revenue measures that were controversial among Republicans. He voted “Nay” on July 3 on legislation concerning stamp duties and “Nay” again on July 5 on a duty on salt, reflecting resistance to what many Republicans viewed as burdensome federal taxes on everyday transactions and essential commodities. When the second session of that Congress convened in November 1797, Trigg arrived three days after the opening, taking his seat on November 16, 1797. In a later vote during this session, on May 18, he cast a “Nay” vote on establishing a provisional army, consistent with Republican skepticism toward expanding standing military forces in peacetime.

Throughout his four terms in the House of Representatives, Trigg participated in the legislative process during a period of partisan realignment and institutional development. He represented the interests of his Virginia constituents in debates over federal fiscal policy, defense, and the scope of national authority, contributing to the shaping of early American legislative practice. His service spanned the transition from Federalist to Republican dominance at the national level, including the pivotal election of 1800 and the early years of the Jefferson administration.

John Johns Trigg remained in office until his death on May 17, 1804. He died while still serving in the U.S. Congress, bringing to a close a public career that had begun with militia service in the Revolutionary War and extended through state and national legislatures. As a planter, state legislator, and four-term Republican member of Congress from Bedford County, Virginia, he exemplified the early national generation of Virginia leaders who combined local agricultural interests with sustained engagement in the emerging institutions of the United States.