Henry, Patrick, 1736-1799

<ul><b>RACES</b>
<li>01/07/1789 VA Presidential Elector Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>06/01/1788 Virginia Ratifying Convention Won 50.00% (+0.00%)</li>
<li>11/25/1785 VA - Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>11/17/1784 VA - Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>05/29/1778 VA - Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>05/29/1777 VA - Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>06/29/1776 VA - Governor Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1774 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>08/01/1774 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
</ul>

HENRY, Patrick, (Grandfather of William Henry Roane, cousin of Isaac Coles, and great-great-great-grandfather of Robert Lee Henry), a Delegate from Virginia; born in Studley, Hanover County, Va., May 29, 1736; pursued classical studies; engaged in mercantile pursuits; studied law; plantation owner; was admitted to the bar in 1760; lawyer, private practice; moved to Louisa County in 1764; served as a member of the colonial house of burgesses in 1765; Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1775; colonel of militia, 1775-1776; delegate in the Williamsburg (Va.) convention of May 1776; Governor of Virginia 1776-1779 and 1784-1786; member of the State convention which ratified the Constitution in 1788; declined invitation to attend Federal Convention in Philadelphia in 1787; declined the appointment of delegate to Continental Congress, 1779; member, State house of delegates, 1780-1790; declined the appointment of United States Senator in 1794, the Cabinet portfolio of Secretary of State in 1795, the appointment of Chief Justice of the United States tendered by President Washington, and of Minister to France offered by President Adams; elected to the State senate in 1799, but did not take the seat; died in Red Hill, Va., June 6, 1799; interment on ``Red Hill'' estate near Brookneal, Va.

<p>Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician, and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): "Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.</p>

<p>Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia, and was for the most part educated at home. After an unsuccessful venture running a store, and assisting his father-in-law at Hanover Tavern, Henry became a lawyer through self-study. Beginning his practice in 1760, he soon became prominent through his victory in the Parson's Cause against the Anglican clergy. Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he quickly became notable for his inflammatory rhetoric against the Stamp Act of 1765.</p>

<p>In 1774 and 1775, Henry served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses where he signed the Petition to the King, which he helped to draft, and the Continental Association, although otherwise did not prove particularly influential. He gained further popularity among the people of Virginia, both through his oratory at the convention and by marching troops towards the colonial capital of Williamsburg after the Gunpowder Incident until the munitions seized by the royal government were paid for. Henry urged independence, and when the Fifth Virginia Convention endorsed this in 1776, he served on the committee charged with drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the original Virginia Constitution. Henry was promptly elected governor under the new charter and served a total of five one-year terms.</p>

<p>After leaving the governorship in 1779, Henry served in the Virginia House of Delegates until he began his last two terms as governor in 1784. The actions of the national government under the Articles of Confederation made Henry fear a strong federal government, and he declined appointment as a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He actively opposed the ratification of the United States Constitution, both fearing a powerful central government and because there was as yet no Bill of Rights. He returned to the practice of law in his final years, declining several offices under the federal government. A slaveholder throughout his adult life, he hoped to see the institution end but had no plan for that beyond ending the importation of slaves. Henry is remembered for his oratory and as an enthusiastic promoter of the fight for independence.</p>