Harrison, Benjamin, 1726-1791

Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726 – April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant and politician who served as a legislator in colonial Virginia, following a precedent of public service established by his namesakes. He signed both the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence and is known as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as Virginia's governor from 1781 to 1784.

Harrison worked an aggregate of three decades in the Virginia House of Burgesses, representing Surry County and Charles City County. He was among the early patriots to formally protest measures that King George III and the British Parliament imposed upon the American colonies, leading to the American Revolution. Harrison was a slaveholder, but in 1772 he joined a petition to the king, requesting that he abolish the slave trade.

As a delegate to the Continental Congress and chairman of its Committee of the whole, Harrison attended and presided over the final debate of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of its signers in 1776. The Declaration included a foundational philosophy of the United States: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Harrison was elected as Virginia's fifth governor; his administration was marked by its futile struggle with a state treasury decimated by the Revolutionary War. He later returned to the Virginia House for two final terms. In disagreement with his normal ally George Washington, Harrison in 1788 cast one of his last votes in opposition to the nation's Constitution, for its lack of a bill of rights. Despite his chronic gout and weakened financial condition, Harrison continued his work in the House. He died on April 24, 1791 at his home after celebrating a re-election and was buried at his home.

A member of the Harrison family of Virginia, two of his descendants became United States presidents— son William Henry Harrison and great-grandson Benjamin Harrison.