Thomas Nelson Jr.
Thomas Nelson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 4th Governor of Virginia | |
| In office June 12, 1781 – November 22, 1781 | |
| Preceded by | William Fleming (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Harrison V |
| Delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress | |
| In office 1779–1780 Serving with William Fitzhugh, Thomas Adams, Cyrus Griffin, John Harvie, Arthur Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Henry Lee, James Mercer, Edmund Jennings Randolph, Meriwether Smith | |
| Preceded by | John Banister |
| Succeeded by | James Henry |
| In office 1775–1777 Serving with Carter Braxton, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, George Wythe | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Henry |
| Succeeded by | John Banister |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from York County | |
| In office October 16, 1786 – June 22, 1788 Serving with Joseph Prentis | |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Nelson |
| Succeeded by | William Nelson |
| In office May 1782 – May 2, 1784 Serving with Joseph Prentis | |
| Preceded by | unclear |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Nelson |
| In office May 5, 1777 – June 1781 Serving with Joseph Prentis, William Reynolds | |
| Preceded by | William Digges |
| Succeeded by | unclear |
| Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from York County | |
| In office 1761–1775 Serving with Dudley Digges | |
| Preceded by | Robert Carter Nicholas |
| Succeeded by | position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 26, 1738 |
| Died | January 4, 1789 (aged 50) Hanover County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Grace Episcopal Churchyard, Yorktown |
| Spouse | Lucy Grymes |
| Relations | Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson (grandfather) Robert Carter I (great-grandfather) George Reade (great-great-grandfather) Nicolas Martiau (third great-grandfather) George Washington (third cousin) William Henry Harrison (third cousin) Benjamin Harrison (third cousin twice removed) |
| Children | 5, including Hugh Nelson |
| Parent(s) | William Nelson Elizabeth Burwell |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Profession | Planter, soldier, statesman |
| Signature | |
Thomas Nelson Jr. (December 26, 1738 – January 4, 1789) was a Founding Father of the United States, general in the Revolutionary War, member of the Continental Congress, and a Virginia planter. In addition to serving many terms in the Virginia General Assembly, he twice represented Virginia in the Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Fellow Virginia legislators elected him to serve as the commonwealth's governor in 1781, the same year he fought as a brigadier general in the siege of Yorktown, the final major battle of the war.