Patrick Henry
Who was Patrick Henry?
American Founding Father, orator and politician (1736 – 1799)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Patrick Henry (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an American politician, planter, speaker, and lawyer who became a leading advocate for American independence during the years before and during the Revolutionary War. Born in Hanover County, Virginia, he's best remembered for his powerful speech at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775, where he famously said, 'Give me liberty or give me death!' As a Founding Father, Henry was the first and then the sixth post-colonial governor of Virginia, serving from 1776 to 1779 and again from 1784 to 1786.
Henry received most of his early education at home from his father, John Henry, who was a Scottish-educated planter and county official. After failing to run a general store and spending time helping his father-in-law at Hanover Tavern, he turned to law, teaching himself through independent study. He was admitted to the bar in 1760 and quickly became known as an effective courtroom advocate. His major break came in 1763 during the Parson's Cause, a legal case where he argued against the British Crown's authority over Virginia's legislature, gaining wide recognition in the colony.
Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765, Henry quickly became controversial by proposing resolutions against the Stamp Act, insisting that only Virginia's legislature could tax its citizens. His speeches against the act were seen as radical by some of his peers but struck a chord with colonists increasingly unhappy with British rule. In 1774, he represented Virginia at the First Continental Congress, where he helped draft and sign the Petition to the King and the Continental Association. The next year, after the royal governor seized gunpowder from a colonial magazine in Williamsburg, Henry led a militia toward the capital until payment was arranged, solidifying his reputation as a decisive leader.
During and after the Revolution, Henry served five one-year terms as governor of Virginia and continued to participate in the Virginia House of Delegates. Although he strongly opposed British rule, he became wary of the proposed federal Constitution drafted in 1787, worried it gave too much power to a central government at the expense of states and individuals. He chose not to attend the Constitutional Convention and became a leading Anti-Federalist during ratification debates, arguing that the document didn't sufficiently protect individual rights. His firm stance helped lead to the Bill of Rights being drafted and adopted.
In his later years, Henry retired to his Red Hill plantation in Charlotte County, Virginia, but remained a public figure. He turned down several offers from President George Washington, including positions as Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He died on June 6, 1799, at Red Hill, survived by his second wife, Dorothea Dandridge Henry, following his first marriage to Sarah Shelton Henry. He was buried on the plantation grounds in Campbell County, Virginia.
Before Fame
Patrick Henry grew up in a modest but educated family in Hanover County, Virginia. His father, John Henry, was a Virginia planter from Scotland with a university education, while his mother was Sarah Winston Syme. Patrick learned Latin and math from his father and loved reading and debating from a young age. Although he didn't have much formal schooling, he enjoyed learning. His early adult life was challenging, including a failed business running a country store that left him in debt.
After working at Hanover Tavern with his father-in-law and marrying Sarah Shelton in 1754, Henry decided to pursue law. He studied mostly on his own for about six weeks before passing the exam to join the Virginia bar in 1760. In just three years, he took on hundreds of cases and gained attention for his persuasive courtroom style. The Parson's Cause case in 1763 made him famous in the colonies. His bold argument that a tyrannical king loses the loyalty of his subjects was cheered by the courtroom and marked him as a rising political figure.
Key Achievements
- Served as the first and sixth post-colonial governor of Virginia, completing five one-year terms between 1776 and 1786
- Delivered the 'Give me liberty or give me death!' speech at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775, galvanizing support for armed resistance against British rule
- Won the landmark Parson's Cause case in 1763, establishing a reputation for challenging British authority over colonial legislatures
- Led Anti-Federalist opposition to the United States Constitution during ratification debates, contributing directly to the creation of the Bill of Rights
- Served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, helping draft the Petition to the King and the Continental Association
Did You Know?
- 01.Henry married Sarah Shelton in 1754 when both were eighteen years old, and after her death in 1775, he married Dorothea Dandridge in 1777, fathering a total of seventeen children across both marriages.
- 02.He taught himself enough law in approximately six weeks to pass the Virginia bar examination in 1760, going on to handle nearly 1,200 cases in the following three years.
- 03.Henry refused to attend the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, reportedly stating he 'smelt a rat' in the proceedings, suspecting that consolidation of federal power was the delegates' real objective.
- 04.President George Washington offered Henry several of the most prestigious positions in the new federal government, including Secretary of State, Chief Justice, and Minister to Spain, all of which Henry declined.
- 05.During the Gunpowder Incident of 1775, Henry personally led a column of militia volunteers toward Williamsburg after the royal governor Lord Dunmore had seized colonial gunpowder stores, forcing a financial settlement before disbanding his force.