Benjamin Harrison III (1673 – April 10, 1710) was an American politician in the Colony of Virginia. He was an early member of the Harrison family of Virginia, serving as the colony's attorney general, treasurer, and Speaker of the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

. He was the great grandfather of President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

and the great-great-great grandfather of President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

Biography

Harrison was born in 1673, the son of

Benjamin Harrison II The Harrison family of Virginia is an American family with a history in politics, public service, and religious ministry, beginning in the Colony of Virginia during the 1600’s. Their descendants include a Founding Father of the United States, ...

and Hannah Churchill. He purchased a portion of land from the land patent of

Berkeley Hundred Berkeley Hundred was a Virginia Colony, founded in 1619, which comprised about eight thousand acres (32 km²) on the north bank of the James River. It was near Herring Creek in an area which is now known as Charles City County, Virginia. It w ...

where he raised his family with his wife Elizabeth, daughter of

Lewis Burwell II The Burwells (known as the Burls among Virginians) were among the First Families of Virginia in the Colony of Virginia. John Quincy Adams once described the Burwells as typical Virginia aristocrats of their period: forthright, bland, somewhat imperi ...

. This location was home to the first official Thanksgiving held on December 4, 1619, and where his son Benjamin Harrison IV began to construct the family's

Berkeley Plantation Berkeley Plantation, one of the first plantations in America, comprises about on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred, named after the Berkele ...

in 1726.Virginia, "A Guide to the old Dominion"
p. 631, Retrieved 14 nov 2009. Harrison became the Attorney General of the

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

in 1697 at age 24, serving until 1702 before moving on to the House of Burgesses between 1703–1706, where he was the Speaker in 1705. He became Treasurer of the colony in 1705, serving until his death in 1710. Harrison began to compile the history of the colony shortly before he died, leaving it unfinished."New England Families"
p.2089, Retrieved 14 nov 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Benjamin, III 1673 births 1710 deaths Benjamin, III People from Virginia Speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses