Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter was a Virginia lawyer, politician and plantation owner. He was a U.S. representative, speaker of the House (1839β1841), and U.S. senator (1847β1861). During the American Civil War, Hunter became the Confederate States Secretary of State (1861β1862) and then a Confederate senator (1862β1865) and critic of President Jefferson Davis. After the war, Hunter failed to win re-election to the U.S. Senate, but did serve as the treasurer of Virginia (1874β1880) before retiring to his farm. After fellow Democrat Grover Cleveland was elected President of the United States in 1884, Hunter became the customs collector for the port of Tappahannock until his death.