Benjamin Harrison V

In 1749, Harrison first took the path of his father in being elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, initially for Surry County; however, he was not of legal age to assume his burgesses seat, which was delayed until 1752. His county representations in the Burgesses were as follows:[18]

• 1752–1761 – Surry County
• 1766–1781 – Charles City County
• 1785–1786 – Surry County
• 1787–1790 – Charles City County

In his first year in the House of Burgesses in 1752, Harrison was appointed to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances and thereby participated in a confrontation with King George and his Parliament and their appointed Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. There developed a dispute with the governor over his levy of a pistole (a Spanish gold coin) upon all land patents, which presaged the core issue of the American Revolution two decades later—taxation without representation.[19] Harrison assisted in drafting a complaint to the governor and the Crown, which read that the payment of any such levy would be "deemed a betrayal of the rights and privileges of the people."[20] When the British Privy Council received the complaint, it replied "that the lower house is a subordinate lawmaking body, and where the King's decisions are concerned, it counts for nothing."[19] On this occasion a compromise was reached, allowing the governor's levy on parcels of less than 100 acres lying east of the mountains.[19]

The Williamsburg Courthouse, Harrison helped raise the funds to purchase the courthouse for the city.

Harrison once again joined the fray with Britain after its adoption of the Townshend Acts, which formally asserted the Parliament's right to tax the colonies. He was appointed in 1768 to a special committee to draft a response for the colony. A resolution resulted that asserted the right of British subjects to be taxed only by their elected representatives.[21] The American colonies achieved their objective with a repeal of the Townshend Acts, through the action of Lord North, who nevertheless continued the tax on tea.[22]

Harrison was a 1770 signer of the Virginia Association, an association of Virginia lawmakers and merchants boycotting British imports until the British Parliament repealed its tea tax.[23] He also joined in sponsoring a bill which declared that Parliament's laws were illegal if passed without the consent of the colonists.[22] Harrison at this time also served as a justice in Charles City County. When the city of Williamsburg lacked the funds for construction of a courthouse, he and fellow delegate James Littlepage organized a group of "Gentlemen Subscribers" who purchased an unused building and presented it to the city in 1771.[24] Early in 1772, Harrison and Thomas Jefferson were among a group of six Virginia house delegates assigned to prepare and deliver an address to the king which called for an end to the importation of slaves from Africa. Biographer Howard Smith indicates that the request was delivered and was unambiguous in its object to close the slave trade; the king rejected it.[25]

In 1773, colonists protested the British tax on tea by destroying a shipment during the Boston Tea Party. While all of the colonies were inspired by the news, some patriots including Harrison had misgivings and believed the Bostonians had a duty to reimburse the East India Company for its losses at their hands. The British Parliament responded to the protest by enacting more punitive measures, which colonists called the Intolerable Acts.[26] Despite his qualms, Harrison was among 89 members of the Virginia Burgesses who signed a new association on May 24, 1774, condemning Parliament's action. The group also invited other colonies to convene a Continental Congress and called for a convention to select its Virginia delegates.[27] At the First Virginia Convention, Harrison was selected on August 5, 1774, as one of seven delegates to represent Virginia at the Congress, to be located in Philadelphia.[28]

Harrison set out that month, leaving his home state for the first time. He was armed with a positive reputation built in the House of Burgesses, which Edmund Randolph articulated to the Congress: "A favorite of the day was Benjamin Harrison. With strong sense and a temper not disposed to compromise with ministerial power, he scruples not to utter any untruth. During a long service in the House of Burgesses, his frankness, though sometimes tinctured with bitterness, has been the source of considerable attachment."[18]

Carpenters' Hall, location of the First Continental Congress

Harrison arrived in Philadelphia on September 2, 1774, for the First Continental Congress. According to biographer Smith, he gravitated to the older and more conservative delegates in Philadelphia and was more distant with the New Englanders and the more radical, particularly John and Samuel Adams.[29] The genuine and mutual enmity between the Adams cousins and Harrison also stemmed from their Puritan upbringing in aversion to human pleasures and Harrison's appreciation for bold storytelling, fine food, and wine.[30] John Adams described Harrison in his diary as "another Sir John Falstaff," as "obscene," "profane," and "impious."[31] However, he also recalled Harrison's comment that he was so eager to participate in the Congress that "he would have come on foot."[32] Politically, Harrison aligned with John Hancock and Adams with Richard Henry Lee, whom Harrison had adamantly opposed in the House of Burgesses.[33]

In October 1774 Harrison signed the Continental Association, an association with the other delegates dictating a boycott of both exports and imports with Britain, effective immediately. This was modeled after the Virginia Association, which Harrison had earlier signed in his home state. The First Congress concluded that month with a Petition to the King, signed by all delegates, requesting the king's attention to the colonies' grievances and restoration of harmony with the crown. Upon his return home, Harrison received a letter from Thomas Jefferson advising of his order for 14 sash windows from London just prior to the passage of the boycott and apologizing for his inability to cancel the order.[34]

In March 1775, Harrison attended a convention at St. John's Parish in Richmond, Virginia, made famous by Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech. A defense resolution was passed by a vote of 65–60 for the raising of a military force. It represented a substantial step for Virginia in its transition from a colony to a commonwealth. Biographer Smith indicates Harrison was probably in the minority, though he was named to a committee to carry the resolution into effect. He was also re-elected as a delegate to the new session of the Continental Congress.[35]

Independence Hall hosted the Second Continental Congress.

When the Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775, Harrison took up residence in north Philadelphia with two roommates—his brother-in-law Peyton Randolph and George Washington.[36] The two men left him to reside on his own when Randolph suddenly died, and Washington assumed command of the Continental Army.[37] Harrison was kept busy with the issues of funding and supplying Washington's army and corresponded with him at length.[38]

In the spring of 1775, an effort was made in the Congress to seek reconciliation with the King of Britain through the Olive Branch Petition, authored by John Dickinson. A heated debate ensued with Dickinson's remark that he disapproved of only one word in the petition, and that was the word "Congress." Harrison angrily rose from his seat and replied, "There is but one word in the paper, Mr. President, of which I do approve, and that is the word 'Congress.'" The petition passed and was submitted to the Crown but remained unread by the king as he formally declared the colonists to be traitors.[39]

In November 1775, Harrison was appointed to a select committee to review the needs of the army. He went to Cambridge, Massachusetts with Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Lynch to assess the needs, as well as the morale, of the forces. After a 10-day inspection, the committee concluded that the pay for the troops should be improved and the ranks should be increased to over 20,000 men.[40] Harrison then returned to Philadelphia to work closely with fellow delegates for the defense of his state as well as South Carolina, Georgia, and New York.[41]

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, Harrison is seated at the table far left[42].

Harrison was in attendance until the session's end in July 1776, serving frequently as chairman of the Committee of the Whole.[43] As such, he presided over the final debates of the Lee Resolution offered by Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee. This was the Congress' first expression of its objective of freedom from the Crown. Harrison oversaw as well the final debates and amendments of the Declaration of Independence.[29] The Committee of Five presented Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration on June 28, 1776, and the Congress resolved on July 1 that the Committee of the Whole should debate its content.[44] The Committee amended it on July 2 and 3, then adopted it in final form on Thursday, July 4. Harrison duly reported this to the Congress and gave a final reading of the Declaration.[45] The Congress unanimously resolved to have the Declaration engrossed and signed by those present.[46]

Harrison was known for an audacious sense of humor. Even detractor John Adams conceded in his diary that "Harrison's contributions and many pleasantries steadied rough sessions."[47] Pennsylvania delegate Benjamin Rush in particular recalled the Congress' atmosphere during a signing of the Declaration on August 2, 1776. He described a scene of "pensive and awful silence," and said that Harrison singularly interrupted "the silence and gloom of the morning," as delegates filed forward to inscribe what they thought was their ensuing death warrant. Rush said that the rotund Harrison approached the diminutive Elbridge Gerry, who was about to sign the Declaration, and said, "I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the Angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead."[48]

From December 1775 until March 1777, the Congress was on two occasions threatened by British forces and forced to remove itself—first to Baltimore and later to York, Pennsylvania–circumstances that Harrison distinctly disliked. This has been attributed to some unspecified ill-health he was experiencing at the time. In 1777, Harrison became a member of the newly created Committee of Secret Correspondence for the Congress. The committee's primary objective was to establish secure communication with American agents in Britain concerning the interests of the colonies.[41] Harrison was also named as Chairman of the Board of War, whose initial purpose was to review the movements of the army in the north, and the exchange of prisoners.[49]

Seal of the Board of War

At that time Harrison found himself at odds with Washington over Marquis de Lafayette's commission, which Harrison insisted was honorary only and without pay.[50] He also stirred controversy by endorsing the rights of Quakers not to bear arms in accordance with their religion.[51] He unsuccessfully argued throughout the formation of the Articles of Confederation that Virginia should be given greater representation than other states, based on its population and land mass.[52] His Congressional membership permanently ended in October 1777; biographer John Sanderson indicates that when Harrison retired from Congress, "his estates had been ravaged" and "his fortune had been impaired."[51]

Harrison returned to Virginia where he quickly renewed his efforts in the Virginia legislature.[53] In May 1776, the House of Burgesses had ended and was replaced by the House of Delegates, according to Virginia's new constitution.[54] He was elected Speaker in 1777, defeating Thomas Jefferson by a vote of 51–23; he returned to the speakership on several occasions.[55] He concerned himself in the ensuing years with many issues, including Virginia's western land interests, the condition of Continental forces, and the defense of the commonwealth.[56]

In January 1781, a British force of 1,600 was positioned at the mouth of the James River, led by turncoat Benedict Arnold, and Harrison was called upon to return immediately to Philadelphia to request military support for his state.[57] He knew that Berkeley was one of Arnold's primary targets, so he relocated his family before setting out.[58] In Philadelphia, his pleas for Virginia were heard, and he obtained increased gunpowder, supplies, and troops, but only on a delayed basis.[59] Meanwhile, Arnold advanced up the James, wreaking havoc on both sides of the river. The Harrison family avoided capture in Arnold's January raid on Berkeley, but Arnold, intent that no likeness of the family survive, removed and burned all the family portraits there. Most of Harrison's other possessions were destroyed along with a large portion of the house. Other signers were similarly targeted with more horrific consequences.[60] Harrison took up the rehabilitation of his home, returned to his correspondence with Washington, and continued efforts to obtain armaments, troops, and clothing supplies for other southern states.[61]

Berkeley Plantation, Harrison family homestead in Charles City County, Virginia

The new nation secured its Revolutionary War victory in October 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia–this provided only brief respite for Harrison, who began to serve a month later as the fifth Governor of Virginia.[62] He was also the fourth governor to assume the office in that year–the multiple successions were occasioned by wartime events in Virginia.[63] Money was the primary problem that he confronted, as the war had drained the coffers of the Virginia treasury, and the government was plagued by creditors, both domestic and foreign.[64] Hence, there was no capacity for military action outside of the immediate area, so Harrison steadfastly opposed offensive action against combative Indians in the Kentucky and Illinois country.[65] He instead pursued a policy of treating with the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Creek Indian tribes, which allowed peace to last for the remainder of his term. The situation resulted in some contentious exchanges with General George Rogers Clark who urged aggressive operations in the west.[66]

As Harrison's term was ending, Washington accepted an invitation to visit with the Harrisons in Richmond, saying, "And I shall feel an additional pleasure, in offering this tribute of friendship and respect to you, by having the company of Marsqs. de la Fayette". The general made his visit in November 1784, though Lafayette was unable to accompany him. Harrison's service as governor was lauded, despite his inability to solve the financial problems that plagued his administration.[67]

In 1786, Harrison and other members of the legislature were deeply divided over the issue of state aid to religion. He joined with his brother and fellow delegate Carter Henry Harrison in supporting a measure offered by Patrick Henry to provide funds for teachers of the Christian religion. The proposal failed, and the assembly instead enacted Thomas Jefferson's famous Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which established a separation of church and state.[68]

Harrison participated as a member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention for the United States Constitution in 1788. However, along with Patrick Henry, George Mason, and others, he was skeptical of a large central government and opposed the Constitution because of the absence of a bill of rights.[69] He was in the minority when the constitution won ratification with a margin of 5 out of 170 votes cast. He overcame his ill health sufficiently to address those who opposed the result, imploring them to seek redress through the legitimate channels of amendments to the Constitution. Though Washington had promoted the Constitution, he praised Harrison, saying, "Your individual endeavors to prevent inflammatory measures from being adopted redound greatly to your credit."[70]

Despite his chronic gout and weakened financial condition, Harrison continued his work in the House. He died on April 24, 1791, at his home after celebrating a re-election. His cause of death is unknown, though his persistent corpulence has been documented.[71] He was buried at his home, along with his wife, Elizabeth Bassett. His son William Henry, then aged 18, had just begun medical studies in Philadelphia, but adequate funds were lacking, so he soon abandoned medicine for military service, and his own path of leadership.[72]

• Adams, John; Adams, Charles Francis (1851). The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: Autobiography, continued. Diary. Essays and controversial papers of the Revolution. The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States. Vol. 3. Little, Brown. ISBN 9781443712859.
• Dowdey, Clifford (1957). The Great Plantation (1st ed.). New York: Rinehart & Co. OCLC 279919.
• Harrison, J. Houston (1975). Settlers by the Long Grey Trail. Genealogical Publ. Co. ISBN 0806306645.
• Smith, Howard W. (1978). Edward M. Riley (ed.). Benjamin Harrison and the American Revolution. Williamsburg: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission. OCLC 4781472.