Thomas Holden (June 7, 1741February 12, 1823) was a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and later a justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

. Holden was born in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

, and was a farmer there. He joined Varnum's Regiment in 1775 as a captain and the following year served with the Rhode Island Brigade. Holden became a Rhode Island militia colonel in 1778 and fought in the Newport Campaign that year. He was elected 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. ...

in 1788 and 1789 and promoted to brigadier general in the militia in 1779 and to major general in 1790. Holden served as a justice of the state supreme court from 1797 until 1801.

Early life

Holden was born in

, on June 7, 1741, and was one of four children of John and Deliverance Greene Holden. He was a farmer and was married to a woman with the first name Freelove; by some modern accounts this was Freelove Barton, though this is disputed because Barton died unmarried. Holden and his wife had twelve children.

Military career

In April 1775 Holden was appointed a captain in Varnum's Regiment, newly raised by the

Rhode Island Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Sen ...

. On December 31 Varnum's regiment, whose men had enlisted for a fixed term until the end of the year, was disbanded, and Holden was recommended for promotion to major. In October 1776 he was appointed quartermaster to the Rhode Island Brigade. He was elected a captain in the Warwick Alarm Company in April 1778 and the following month commissioned colonel of the 1st Regiment of the Kent County Militia, with which he took part in the Newport Campaign. Holden was promoted to brigadier general with the militia in June 1779 and served on the 1781 Rhode Island Council of War. In both 1788 and 1789 he was elected a member of the

but on neither occasion does he seem to have taken up his seat. Holden received a promotion to the rank of major general in the militia in 1790.

Legal career and later life

Holden was appointed a justice of the

in December 1797 and held that position until June 1801.
Manual - the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
' (1891), p. 208-13. Holden was initially elected to the state supreme court to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of

Thomas Tillinghast Thomas Tillinghast (August 21, 1742August 26, 1821) was a United States representative from Rhode Island. Born in East Greenwich in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Tillinghast was elected as a member of the Rhode Island ...

. Holden was then re-elected to the next two successive terms of the court. Holden died in Warwick on February 22, 1823, at the age of 82. He was buried in East Natick, Rhode Island, but no stone survives to mark the spot. A descendant has erected a memorial stone at

East Greenwich East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan st ...

cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Thomas 1741 births 1823 deaths People from Warwick, Rhode Island Militia generals in the American Revolution Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Continental Army officers from Rhode Island