- Benjamin Harrison V
Infobox Governor
name = Benjamin Harrison V
order = 5th
office = Governor of Virginia
term_start = 1781
term_end = 1784
lieutenant =
predecessor =Thomas Nelson, Jr.
successor =Patrick Henry
birth_date = April 5, 1726
birth_place =Charles City County, Virginia
death_date = April 24, 1791
death_place =Charles City County, Virginia
party =
spouse =
profession =
religion =Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726ndash April 24, 1791) was an American planter and revolutionary leader from
Charles City County, Virginia . He was educated at theCollege of William and Mary and was, perhaps, the first figure in theHarrison family to gain national attention. Harrison was a representative forSurry County, Virginia (1756-1758) and Charles City County (1766-1776) to theHouse of Burgesses . He was aVirginia delegate to theContinental Congress from 1774 to 1777, signed the Declaration of Independence, and wasGovernor of Virginia from 1781 to 1784. He again ran for the state legislature but was defeated byJohn Tyler, Sr. , father of future president,John Tyler . He was elected from a neighboring district, however, and served until his death.He was son of
Benjamin Harrison IV andAnne Carter , and grandson ofRobert Carter I ; his cousin was the plantation owner Robert Carter. Benjamin Harrison V, was married to his second cousin Elizabeth Bassett. Their sonWilliam Henry Harrison and great-grandsonBenjamin Harrison would both becomePresident of the United States . Besides William, their youngest child, they had six other children; Elizabeth, Anna, Benjamin VI, Lucy, Carter, and Sarah. His brother-in-law was Speaker of theHouse of Burgesses ,Peyton Randolph , who was first cousin once removed ofThomas Jefferson .Harrison lived all his life at
Berkeley Plantation , the Harrison family home inVirginia , and his children were born there.Harrison County, West Virginia was formed in 1784 and named in Governor Harrison's honor.External links
*CongBio|H000262
* [http://www.colonialhall.com/harrison/harrison.php Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856]
*Find A Grave|id=2784
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.