Patrick Henry

Founding Fathers Moments

"Voice of the American Revolution"
"Co Author of the Bill of Rights"
Attorney, Governor, Lay Preacher, Military Leader
 

	Born: May 29, 1736 Died: June 6, 1799
	Member, House of Burgesses, Commonwealth of Virginia 1765-1776
	Delegate to 1st Continental Congress 1774
	Delegate to 2nd Continental Congress 1775
	Delegate to 3rd Continental Congress 1776 (Declaration of Independence Convention) Did not attend because was Governor of Virginia
	Colonel, Virginia Militia 1776
	Delegate to 4th Continental Congress 1787 (Constitutional Convention) Did not attend
	First Governor of Virginia, Elected to 6 terms 1776-1778, 1784-1786
	Virginia Legislature, 1780-1784, 1787-1790
	Elected to Senate, State of Virginia (died before taking office) 1799
	Turned down party's nomination to run for President to succeed George Washington. Still received enough votes to be in the Electoral College.
	Turned down the following appointments: Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Secretary of State, Ambassador to Spain and France. Declined nomination for United States Senate.
	Here is what some of Henry's contemporaries had to say about him: John Adams, President: "In all of Congress there was but one man, Patrick Henry, who had the sense of the precipice of the danger we stood upon, and who had the courage and ability to address it." George Mason, Signor, and Co Author of the Bill of Rights: "Patrick Henry, in my opinion, was the first man upon the Continent, both in abilities as well as public virtue." Thomas Jefferson, President: "I do not know how we ever could have had the revolution were it not for Patrick Henry."
	Died at the age of 63. His gravestone simply says “Patrick Henry, His Fame his best Epitaph”