Introduction
General George Rust (1788–1857) was a general in the U.S. Army in the early 19th century and a prominent landowner in Loudoun County, Virginia. Rust was involved in the defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812.
Early and family life
George Rust was born in Loudoun County, Virginia. He married Maria Claggett (d. 1863), and they had several children, including Olivia Maria (d. 1844), Mary Virginia (d. 1826), Mary Virginia Rust Yellott (1830-1914), Col. Armistead Thomson Mason Rust (1820-1887), Col. George Thomas Rust (1826-1900), Margaret Rust Bedinger (1818-1843) and Charlotte Rust Rogers (1836-1923).
Career
Loudoun County voters elected Rust as one of their two delegates in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1818-1819 (after George McCarty refused to take the oath required by the new Dueling Act) and he was re-elected in 1820-1821 and 1822-1823, serving alongside William Chilton. Francis Stribling became the county's second delegate after the 1823 election.
Rust built Rockland near Leesburg, Virginia about 1822, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and which remains in the hands of Rust family descendants. Rust also owned Exeter, a nearby plantation.
Death and legacy
Rust's son Colonel Armistead Thomson Mason Rust (1820–1887), a West Point graduate, fought with the Confederate 19th Virginia Infantry during the American Civil War. Rocklands remains owned by his descendants, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.