Benjamin Harrison

PA-250

Benjamin Harrison (1726-1791)--Virginia planter, politician, and signer of the Declaration of Independence--was born at nearby Berkeley plantation. He first served in the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1752, though elected in 1749, and remained in office until 1775. In 1774, the Virginia Revolutionary Convention sent Harrison to the Continental Congress, where he served through 1777. He was Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1778 to 1781 and governor of Virginia from 1781 to 1784. His son William Henry Harrison and great-grandson Benjamin Harrison were presidents of the United States.

Department of Historic Resources, 2000

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Carolyn Ledbetter, Charles City County Historical Society Sources: John A. Garraty and Mark Carnes, eds., American National Biography, 23 vols. (New York and Oxford: Oxford University, 1999), 10: 197-199; Cynthia Miller Leonard, compiler, The General Assembly of Virginia: July 30, 1619 – January 11, 1978, A Bicentennial Register of Members (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1978); Emily J. Salmon and Edward D. C. Campbell, Jr., eds., The Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed. (Richmond: Library of Virginia, 1994); Howard W. Smith, Benjamin Harrison and the American Revolution (Williamsburg, Va.: Virginia Independence Commission, 1978).