Thomas Henderson (politician)

Thomas Henderson (born August 15, 1743 in Freehold , Monmouth County , Province of New Jersey , †  December 15, 1824 ibid) was an American politician and in 1793 incumbent governor of the state of New Jersey . Between 1795 and 1797 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives .

Early years

Thomas Henderson first attended the public schools in his home country and then until 1761 Princeton University , which was then still called Princeton College . Then he studied medicine . After completing this degree, he practiced as a doctor in Freehold around 1765. He served in the New Jersey Militia during the Revolutionary War. There he rose to major in the course of the war.

Political career

As early as 1774, Thomas Henderson was a member of the New Jersey Security Committee. In 1777 he was a member of the Monmouth County's provincial council and in 1779 won election to the Continental Congress . However, he refused this mandate. Between 1780 and 1784 he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and in 1790 he was head of a chancellery. Between 1783 and 1799, in addition to his political activities, he was also a judge at an appeal court. However, he is likely to have held this office only sporadically because he was absent more often during his time in the US Congress , especially between 1797 and 1799 .

From 1793 to 1794 Henderson was a member and vice president of the State Council of New Jersey, which later became the New Jersey Senate . In this capacity, he had to end the remaining term of office between March 30 and June 3, 1793 after the resignation of Governor William Paterson . Politically, Henderson was a member of the Federalist Party of Alexander Hamilton .

After Henderson was elected to Congress in 1794, he was able to represent his state there as a member of parliament between March 4, 1795 and March 3, 1797. Between 1812 and 1813 he was again a member of the State Council of New Jersey. Henderson was also a member of a commission that settled a border conflict with the neighboring state of Pennsylvania . Thomas Henderson died in December 1824. He was married twice and had a total of seven children.

Web links

• Thomas Henderson in the National Governors Association (English)
• Thomas Henderson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Thomas Henderson in the database of Find a Grave (English)