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.

...