Burke, Thomas, c. 1747-1783

Thomas Burke (c. 1747 – December 2, 1783) was an Irish physician, lawyer, and statesman who lived in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He represented North Carolina as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was the third Governor of the state.

Born in Tiaquin, County Galway, in the Kingdom of Ireland around 1747, he had emigrated to Virginia by 1764, practicing medicine in Accomack County for a number of years. He then studied law and began its practice in Norfolk, Virginia. He became an early supporter of the American Revolution, writing tracts in opposition to the Stamp Act. In 1774 he moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina. Burke's neighbors made him a member of the Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress provisional that met in Halifax in 1776. There he had a part in the debate that led to North Carolina's new constitution. He was chosen as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress on December 20, 1776, and arrived in Philadelphia to take his seat on February 4, 1777. He was a strong states' rights advocate, although he moderated this view somewhat by 1781. In September 1777 most of the Congress were preparing to flee Philadelphia as the British advanced. Burke instead went to join General Nash's North Carolina troops defending the city. He was present at the Battle of Brandywine before rejoining the Congress.

Burke served in Congress until 1781, when he was chosen to be Governor of North Carolina. He returned home to assume that office in June. As governor he was active in supporting and encouraging the militia in its resistance to British and Tory forces. Then, in September, he was captured by Tories under the command of Col. David Fanning, and after a failed rescue attempt by patriot militia under the command of John Butler at the Battle of Lindley's Mill, Burke was imprisoned by the British Army on James Island near Charleston, South Carolina. Burke was allowed to live freely on the island under parole, but he was subject to mistreatment and deplorable conditions, and he feared assassination. Finally, on January 16, 1782, he escaped and made his way to North Carolina. He wrote to the British that he still considered himself under the terms of his parole. He resumed his duties as governor prior to being released from parole through exchange. Accordingly, many North Carolinians and Continental officers considered that he had broken his word, and he remained under a cloud of dishonor. In April 1782 he did not stand for the governorship and was succeeded by Alexander Martin.

Burke's health never recovered from his term of imprisonment. He retired to his home, known as Tyaquin, in Orange County. He died at Tyaquin and was buried there.