William Nelson (governor)
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William Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Governor William Nelson of Yorktown | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1711 Yorktown, Virginia |
| Died | November 19, 1772 Yorktown, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Burwell |
| Children | Thomas Nelson Jr. and Edward Nelson |
| Parents | Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson |
William Nelson (1711 – November 19, 1772) was an American planter, politician, and colonial leader from Yorktown, Virginia. In the interim between the royal governors Norborne Berkeley and Lord Dunmore, he served as governor of colonial Virginia in 1770 and 1771.[1]
Nelson was the son of Thomas "Scotch Tom" Nelson, the immigrant ancestor from Cumbria, who built Nelson House at his plantation in about 1730.[2]
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Nelson was an active supporter of the colonial cause. Among his children was his son, Thomas Nelson Jr., who was active in revolutionary politics, one of thirteen representatives who drafted the Articles of Confederation, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a future governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the new United States of America.
References[]
- ^ Van Horne, John C. (editor) (1975). The Correspondence of William Nelson as Acting Governor of Virginia, 1770-1771. Charlottesville: Published for the Virginia Historical Society [by] the University Press of Virginia. ISBN 0813905850.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- ^ "Nelson House". National Park Service. August 9, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
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- 1711 births
- 1772 deaths
- Colonial governors of Virginia
- American people of English descent
- Nelson family of Virginia
- People from Yorktown, Virginia
- American planters
- Virginia politician stubs