Cornelius Harnett

Cornelius Harnett (born April 20, 1723 in Chowan County , Province of North Carolina , † April 28, 1781 in Wilmington , North Carolina ) was an American businessman, farmer and politician . He was also a leading American revolutionary in the Cape Fear region .

Career

Harnett, son of Cornelius and Elizabeth Harnett, was born in Chowan County, North Carolina in 1723. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. In the following time he became an influential businessman there. He also worked as a farmer and mill owner . Later, Governor Gabriel Johnston appointed him Justice of the Peace for New Hanover County .

Harnett decided to pursue a political career in 1750 when he was elected City Commissioner of Wilmington. He was elected four years later to represent that city in the North Carolina General Assembly . Then he was in 1765 Chairman of the Sons of Liberty ( Engl. Sons of Liberty ) and a leader of the resistance movement against the Stamp Act . Later he was from 1775 to 1776 the first President of the North Carolina Provincial Council or Council of Safety , the actual chief executive of the revolutionary state, but with limited authority. As a result, Sir Henry Clinton , a British general during the American War of Independence , expelled him when the general amnesty was declared in 1776. Harnett then represented his home state as a delegate from 1777 to 1779 at the Continental Congress , where he signed the articles of confederation .

In January 1781 he was captured by British troops during the occupation of Wilmington. During his detention, his health deteriorated so much that he was released on his word of honor. Nevertheless, he died on April 28, 1781 and was buried at St. James' Churchyard in Wilmington.

literature

• Connor, Robert DW Cornelius Harnett ;: An essay in North Carolina history , 1971, Books for Libraries Press ( ISBN 0-8369-5647-8 ).
• Connor, Robert DW Revolutionary Leaders of North Carolina , reprinted 1971 from 1916 edition. ( ISBN 0-87152-063-X ) Chapter 3: pages 49-78.

Web links

• Cornelius Harnett in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)