William Nelson (governor)
William Nelson | |
|---|---|
portrait by Robert Feke | |
| Colonial Governor of Virginia | |
| Acting 1770–1771 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt |
| Succeeded by | John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore |
| Member of the Virginia Governor's Council | |
| In office 1745-1772 | |
| Member of the House of Burgesses representing York County, Virginia | |
| In office 1742–1745 | |
| Preceded by | John Buckner II |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Nelson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1711 |
| Died | November 19, 1772 (aged 60–61) Yorktown, Virginia |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Burwell |
| Children | Gen. Thomas Nelson Jr., Col. Hugh Nelson, Dr Nathaniel Nelson, Hon. William Nelson, Jr, Elizabeth Nelson Thompson and Robert Nelson |
| Parent(s) | Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson, Margaret Reade |
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William Nelson (1711 – November 19, 1772) was an American merchant, planter and politician from Yorktown, Virginia. Having served more than two decades on the Virginia Council of State (the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly in that colonial period), he became the colony's acting governor between the death of royal governor Norborne Berkeley in mid-October 1770 and the arrival of Lord Dunmore, in October 1771. Arguably the most famous of the six men of the same name to serve in the Virginia General Assembly, he represented York County for about three years in the House of Burgesses before being advanced to the Council of State.