Benjamin Harrison V was born in Charles City County, Virginia back in 1726 to Benjamin Harrison IV and Anne. Described in his youth as being “tall and powerfully built”. His father died in an afternoon thunderstorm with two of his daughters attempting to shut an upstairs window when lightning struck.
He inherited the bulk of his father’s estate. He followed in his father’s footsteps by representing the counties of Charles City and Surry in the House of Burgesses. He was among the first sponsoring a bill that declared certain laws passed by Parliament affecting Virginia to be illegal without the consent of His Majesty’s subject in the colony. In 1774, he was selected by convention to be one of seven to represent Virginia in the First Continental Congress. In 1776, during the Second Continental Congress he served as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole.
On July 4th, 1776, it was Benjamin who duly reported and delivered to Congress a final reading of the Declaration of Independence. The actual signing of the Deceleration took place on August 2nd, 1776. Therefore, as a representative of Virginia he was a signer of the Deceleration and as such is considered as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He later served as the fifth Governor of Virginia. His direct descendants include two U.S. Presidents, his son William Henry Harrison and great-grandson Benjamin Harrison.
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