Henry Middleton (1717 – June 13, 1784) was a
planter, public official from
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. A member of the colonial legislature, 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 ...
he attended the
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. It met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the British Navy ...
and served as that body's
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
for four days in 1774 after the passage of the
Continental Association
The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against ...
, which he signed. He left the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
before it declared independence. Back in South Carolina, he served as president of the provincial congress and senator in the newly created state government. After his capture by the British in 1780, he accepted defeat and returned to the status of a British subject until the end of the war.
Early life
Henry Middleton was born in 1717 on the family plantation, "The Oaks", near
Charleston,
Province of South Carolina
Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monar ...
. He was the second son of Susan (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Amory) Middleton (1690-1722) and
Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress.
Life
Middleton was bo ...
(1681–1737), a wealthy planter who had served as an acting
governor of South Carolina
The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...
.
His grandfather, Edward Middleton, emigrated from England via
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
.
He was educated in England before returning to South Carolina to inherit his father's plantation. He became one of the largest landowners in the colony, owning and about 800 slaves.
Public career
Middleton served in a variety of public offices in South Carolina. He was a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
and a member of the
Commons House of Assembly
The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...
, where he was elected speaker in 1747, 1754, and 1755.
He was a member of provincial council
but resigned in 1770 in opposition to British policy.
In 1774, at the outset of 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 ...
, Middleton was selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
He served as that body's
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
during the last few days of the
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. It met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the British Navy ...
, following the departure of
Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph (September 10, 1721 – October 22, 1775) was an American politician and planter who was a Founding Father of the United States. Born into Virginia's wealthiest and most powerful family, Randolph served as speaker of Virginia' ...
. Middleton opposed declaring independence from Great Britain and resigned from the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
in February 1776 when more radical delegates began pushing for independence.
He was succeeded in Congress by his son
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
who was more radical than his father and became a signer of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
.
After Middleton's return to South Carolina, he was elected president of the provincial congress and, beginning on November 16, 1775, served on the
council of safety
In the American Revolution, committees of correspondence, committees of inspection (also known as committees of observation), and committees of safety were different local committees of Patriots that became a shadow government; they took control ...
.
In 1776, he and his son Arthur helped frame a temporary state constitution.
In 1779, he became a state senator in the new government.
When Charleston was captured by the British at the
Siege of Charleston
The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...
in 1780, Middleton accepted defeat and status as a British subject.
This reversal apparently did not damage his reputation in the long run, because of his previous support of the Revolution, and he did not suffer the fate of having his estates confiscated, as many
Loyalists
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
did after the war.
Personal life
In 1741, Middleton was married to Mary Baker Williams (1721–1761), the daughter of John Williams, an early South Carolina planter who began building what is today known as
Middleton Place
Middleton Place is a plantation in Dorchester County, along the banks of the Ashley River west of the Ashley and about northwest of downtown Charleston, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Built in several phases during the 18th and 19th centu ...
around 1730.
Together, Henry and Mary were the parents of five sons and seven daughters, seven of whom survived to adulthood, including:
*
Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States as a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress.
Life
Middleton was bo ...
(1742–1787), a signer of the Declaration of Independence who married Mary Izard (1747–1814).
* Henrietta Middleton (1750–1792), who married Governor
Edward Rutledge
Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an American Founding Father and politician who signed the Continental Association and was the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the 39th gover ...
.
* Thomas Middleton (1753–1797), who married Anne Manigault.
* Hester Middleton (1754–1789), who married Charles Drayton.
* Sarah Middleton (1756–1784), who married
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American Founding Father, statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the United States Constit ...
.
* Mary Middleton (1757-1825), who married Peter Smith.
* Susannah Middleton (1760–1834), who married Continental Congressman
John Parker.
After his wife's death in 1761, Middleton would go on to marry twice more. His second marriage was to Maria Henrietta Bull (1722–1772), daughter of
William Bull Sr., the
lieutenant governor of South Carolina
The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond overseeing the Office on Aging and the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of th ...
, in 1762.
His second wife's sister, Charlotta (née Bull) Drayton, was the mother of Continental Congressman
William Henry Drayton
William Henry Drayton (September 1742 – September 3, 1779) was an American Founding Father, planter, and lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He served as a delegate for South Carolina to the Continental Congress in 1778-79 and signed t ...
, and her brother,
William Bull II, served as
governor of South Carolina
The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...
before leaving the colony in 1782 when British troops were evacuated at the end of the War.
After his second wife's death in 1772, he married for the third time, although it was her fourth marriage, to Lady Mary McKenzie,
the daughter of
George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie
George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie (c. 1703 – 28 September 1766) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
He succeeded his father John, the 2nd earl, in February 1731. In 1745, he joined Charles Edward Stuart and he served with the Jacobites unti ...
, in 1776.
Among Lady Mary's brothers were
John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod
John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod (17272 April 1789) was a Scottish Jacobite politician and soldier of fortune.
Life
Born at Castle Leod near Strathpeffer, Scotland, he was the eldest son of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie and Isabel G ...
and
George Mackenzie. Her father was a Scottish nobleman who followed
Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
, the
Jacobite Pretender
The Jacobite succession is the line through which Jacobitism, Jacobites believed that the crowns of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland should have descended, applying primogeniture, since t ...
. The Earl of Cromartie was tried and sentenced to death, but he obtained a conditional pardon although his peerage was forfeited.
[ Fraser, William. (1876). ]
The Earls of Cromartie, Their Kindred, Country and Correspondence
'. Vol. 1. p. cclvi. Edinburgh.
Middleton died on June 13, 1784, in Charleston.
He was buried at Goosecreek Churchyard, St. James Parish,
Berkeley County, South Carolina
Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 229,861. Its county seat is Moncks Corner. After two previous incarnations of Berkeley County, the current county was created in 1882. Be ...
.
Descendants
His grandson, also named
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
(1770–1846), had a long career in politics. He was governor of South Carolina (1810–1812), U.S. Representative (1815–1819), and the minister to Russia (1820–1830). Henry had fourteen children, including
Williams Middleton and
Edward Middleton.
References
External links
*
Middleton Place
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Henry
1717 births
1784 deaths
American people of Barbadian descent
American people of English descent
American slave owners
Continental Congressmen from South Carolina
18th-century American politicians
Middleton family
Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina
People of South Carolina in the American Revolution
South Carolina state senators
South Carolina colonial people
Signers of the Continental Association