Dorothea Spotswood Henry ( ''née'' Dandridge; September 25, 1757 – February 14, 1831) was the wife of

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, politician and orator known for declaring to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): " Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first an ...

. Upon their marriage while he was in office, she served as the first and sixth

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of Virginia during Henry's terms as

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, from 1777 to 1779 and 1784 to 1786.''Death Notices from Richmond Virginia Newspapers 1821-1840,'' (Virginia Genealogical Society, 1987)

Early life and education

Born in 1748, Dorothea was the daughter of daughter of Nathaniel West Dandridge and Dorothea Spotswood. She was a cousin of Martha Dandridge Washington, wife of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. Dorothea had a prominent family background. Her maternal grandfather served as

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

and Acting Governor of the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

, Alexander Spottiswood. Her paternal grandfather was a

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Commander, Captain William Dandridge. Her paternal great-grandmother, Lady Unity West, was a great-granddaughter of

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr ( ; 9 July 1577 – 7 June 1618), was an English merchant and politician, for whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, a Native American people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named. He was ...

, for whom Delaware Bay, the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

, and the State of Delaware were named.

First lady of Virginia

Colonial_Williamsburg_Governors_Palace_Front_Dscn7232

Upon her marriage to the sitting governor, Patrick Henry, 20-year-old Dorothea became the inaugural First Lady of Virginia from 1777 to 1779, during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. The marriage was regarded as a wise match that helped solidify support for Henry in the Commonwealth, especially given that Dorothea belonged to an old and prominent Virginia family. Mrs. Henry lived with her husband at the Governor's Palace in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

. With the support of her cousin, Martha Washington, Mrs. Henry helped raise funds and support for the Virginia militia. Dorothea has been described as serving in the role of First Lady with grace and tact. After Henry's first term as governor, they resided at the

Leatherwood Plantation Leatherwood Plantation of 10,000 acres (40 km2) was located in Henry County, Virginia, where American Founding Father Patrick Henry lived from 1779 until 1784. The plantation is probably named after Leatherwood Creek, a tributary to the Smith River ...

in Henry County, Virginia from 1779 to 1784. In 1784, Henry returned to the governor's office, and they moved to the new capitol of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. In 1794, they retired to the Red Hill plantation and estate, comprising 520 acres in Charlotte County.

Marriages and children

Dorothea married Patrick Henry on October 9, 1777, at the age of 22 at Fork Church. They had 11 children, but only 9 lived to adulthood. Combined with the 6 children from Patrick's first marriage to Sarah Shelton, they raised a total of 15 children. After Patrick Henry's death in 1799, Dorothea married Judge

Edmund Winston Edmund Winston Sr. (b. 1745 – d. August 18, 1818) was a lawyer, politician, jurist, and patriot of the American Revolution for Virginia. Biography Winston was born in 1745 in Hanover County, Virginia, the son of Lt. William Winston and Sara ...

in 1802. He was a first cousin of Henry and had been an executor of his estate. In his will, Henry gave his wife Dorothea his Red Hill estate along with 20 enslaved workers of her choosing. He also gave her permission to free one or two of them if she desired. By 1805, she had freed at least five through

manumission Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...

. Combined with Winston's 6 children with his late wife, they had 21 children in their

blended family A stepfamily is a family where at least one parent has children that are not biologically related to their spouse. Either parent, or both, may have children from previous relationships or marriages. Two known classifications for stepfamilies i ...

, many of whom were adults at the time of their marriage.

Death and legacy

Dorothea died in 1831 in

Halifax County, Virginia Halifax County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,022. Its county seat is Halifax. History Occupied by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years, in histo ...

at the age of 75. The Dorothea Henry Chapter of the Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution is named in her honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Dorothea Dandridge 1757 births 1831 deaths American slave owners Dandridge family of Virginia First Ladies and Gentlemen of Virginia Patrick Henry People from Hanover County, Virginia People from Virginia