Thomas NELSON, Jr., Congress, VA (1738-1789)
NELSON, Thomas, Jr., (father of Hugh Nelson), a Delegate from Virginia; born in Yorktown, Va., on December 26, 1738; attended private schools and was graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University in England, in 1761; member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia in 1774; member of the provincial convention in Williamsburg in 1774; Member of the Continental Congress 1775-1777; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; appointed commander of the Virginia state forces in 1777 and served in this capacity until 1781 when he resigned on account of ill health as a result of his service in the field in the campaign against Cornwallis; again a Member of the Continental Congress in 1779; governor of Virginia in 1781; retired to his sonâs estate, âMont Air,â Hanover County, Va., and died there on January 4, 1789; interment in Grace Churchyard, Yorktown, Va.
Bibliography
Evans, Emory G. and Edward M. Riley, ed. Thomas Nelson and the Revolution in Virginia. Williamsburg, Va.: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission, 1978.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
