Letter from Robert King” Carter”””

Robert "King" Carter, the wealthy and influential member of the governor's Council in Virginia, writes in a July 23, 1726, letter that he will be unable to attend the funeral of the lieutenant governor, Hugh Drysdale, who had died the day before. Carter explains that it will be impossible for him to get to Williamsburg on the appointed day, and insists that the service not be delayed on his account.

Drysdale had served as acting governor of Virginia in the absence of Governor George Hamilton, first earl of Orkney, from 1722 until his death in 1726. He was buried in the yard of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, although it is possible that his widow later had his remains transferred to London. As senior member of the Council, Carter served as acting governor for a year after the death of Drysdale.