Thomas Henderson (August 15, 1743December 15, 1824) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He served as acting

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

in 1793.

Early life

Born in

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple *Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England *Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...

in the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...

, he attended the public schools and was graduated from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

in 1761. He studied medicine and practised in

Freneau, New Jersey Freneau is an unincorporated community located within Matawan in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is named for Philip Freneau (1752–1832), a poet during the American Revolutionary War.Capuzzo, Jill P"2 Lakes, the Shore and a Train ...

and

Freehold Township, New Jersey Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to the Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall) and a bedroom community of New ...

. He was a member of the Committee of Safety in 1774 and served as a lieutenant in the

New Jersey Line The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776 The first two ...

in 1775. He was appointed second major in Col. Charles Stewart's battalion of

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

on February 15, 1776, and was a brigade major of the Monmouth County militia, April 19, 1776. He was major of Col. Nathaniel Heard's battalion, June 14, 1776, and later lieutenant colonel and brigadier major at Monmouth.

Politics

Henderson was surrogate of Monmouth County in 1776, and a member of the provincial council in 1777. He was elected as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

, November 17, 1779, but declined to serve on December 25, 1779. He served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

from 1780 to 1784, and was a master in chancery in 1790. He was a member of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replaced ...

(now the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

) in 1793 and 1794, serving as

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of that body, and in 1793 and 1794 he was

Acting Governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

of New Jersey. Henderson was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

to the Fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1795, to March 3, 1797. From 1783 to 1799 he was a judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

, and was one of the commissioners appointed to settle the boundary line between New Jersey and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was again a member of the State Council in 1812 and 1813.

Death

In 1824, Henderson died in Freehold; interment was in

Old Tennent Cemetery The Old Tennent Cemetery is a non-denominational community cemetery adjacent to the Old Tennent Church in Manalapan, New Jersey, with which it was affiliated until 1910. The cemetery was established in 1731, when the congregation moved from its lo ...

, Manalapan.

References

New Jersey Governor Thomas Henderson

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Thomas 1743 births 1824 deaths Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council Members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey militiamen in the American Revolution New Jersey state court judges New Jersey state senators People from Freehold Township, New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Revolution Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey Princeton University alumni American Presbyterians People of colonial New Jersey Burials at Old Tennent Cemetery Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Federalist Party state governors of the United States 18th-century American politicians