Biography

     The second son born to a Scottish planter and his previously widowed bride, Patrick Henry was always looking to stand out. He was born in Hanover, Virginia on May 29, 1736. Even from a young age, Henry was an independent spirit. Arithmetic, reading, and writing were all taught at the school Henry attended until he was 10. After that, his dad, a graduate of King’s College, University of Aberdeen, taught Patrick Henry Greek, Latin, math, and history. When Henry was 16, his dad set him and his older brother up with an apprenticeship as a store clerk. During this time, it was deemed that the Henry brothers were too trusting and generous to be in business. And maybe Henry never learned from that experience because twice in his life, he tried to own his own business, and twice he failed. At the ripe old age of 18, Patrick decided it was finally time to settle down and he married 16 year old Sarah Shelton. He became a farmer and had up to 4 kids during his first 6 years of marriage. Then a big fire burnt down the farm and Patrick and Sarah, along with their kids, had to move in with Sarah’s parents. Henry tried his hand at shop keeping, but that ended in bankruptcy, so he became a bartender. Here is where Patrick Henry got cool. He took a big risk and decided to study law. After studying for only 9 months, Henry took his bar test and got the signatures necessary to become a lawyer. Patrick Henry’s first major feat as a lawyer was arguing in the Parsons’ Cause in 1763. England had gotten rid of a law that cut the Church of England ministers’ salaries by one third. One Virginian minister was suing to get back the money he didn’t get while the law was still in place. The previous defense lawyer had quit because he thought there was no way to win. Patrick Henry stepped up and started to argue the defense. In the end, the minister won but the money he was to be paid was reduced to one penny. So, even though Henry didn’t really win, the Parsons’ Cause is still considered his first big victory. Ready to take action against the English government, in 1765 Patrick Henry joined the House of Burgesses. The Stamp Act was passed in March of 1765 and the Burgesses all were freaking out but they were hesitant to do anything. Frustrated, Patrick Henry wrote up what he called the 7 resolves and took them to the Burgesses. The resolves were about what actions to take to get the Stamp Act repealed and said that England shouldn’t be able to set the taxes for Virginia. 4 of the 7 were passed. Fast forward a few years. Henry has stayed a Burgess and ruffled a few feathers with his outspoken and action-oriented ideas. It’s now 1774 and Henry is one of the Virginian delegates to the First Constitutional Congress. 1775 proved to be a reality check for Patrick Henry; it ended with him leaving the last national government position he would ever hold. There are lots of things that contributed to him leaving. First, his wife died at the beginning of the year. The American Revolution started in 1775 too, so Henry was trying to get a militia together. Trying to gain support at a rally for the Convention, Henry delivered his most famous speech. “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Granted, he was probably a little reckless after Sarah’s death, but his speech was motivating all the same. Then was the Second Constitutional Congress, at which Henry was representing Virginia. His inability to persuade the delegates seems to have been the last straw for Patrick Henry, resulting in him never holding an office in the national government again. Instead, he worked to set up a government for Virginia and was elected as first governor of Virginia. In 1777, Henry married Dorthea Dandridge. When the Constitutional Convention rolled around in 1787, Henry decided not to go. He returned to his old passion, law, in 1788. Because he was known for his incredible speaking skills, Henry was a popular criminal lawyer. Henry retired in 1794 and went recluse. Even though he was asked to do lots of stuff (be minister to France and Spain, be Secretary of State in Washington’s cabinet, be Chief Justice, be in the US Senate, be governor of Virginia again), Henry maintained his private life, spending time with all his kids (and their offspring). George Washington kept trying to get Patrick Henry to go back to politics, finally convincing him in 1799 to run for state legislator. Henry won the election but died before being able to take office. On June 6, 1799, Patrick Henry died of cancer, ending his return to a political career and missing out on the turn of the century.

Source citation: O'Brien, Steven G. "Patrick Henry." ABC-CLIO: American HIstory. American History, 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Tate, Thad. "Henry, Patrick." American National Biography Online. Oxford University, 2000. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Morton, Joseph C. "Henry, Patrick (1736-1799)." Student Resource Center-Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. Ketcham, Ralph. "Henry, Patrick (1736-1799)." Student Resource Center-Gold. Gale, 1998. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. "Henry, Patrick (1736-1799)." Student Resource Center-Gold. Gale, 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. Fowler, William M. "Henry, Patrick." World Book Online. World Book Student, 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Picture Citation: "Henry, Patrick." World Book. Web. 03 Mar. 2010. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/extmedia?id=ar253140&st=patrick+henry&em=pc010500.