Alexander Henderson (March 2, 1738 – November 22, 1815) was a merchant and politician in the

British colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

and American state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Biography

Henderson was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He married Sarah Moore . He was the father of

Archibald Henderson Archibald Henderson (January 21, 1783 – January 6, 1859) was the longest-serving Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving from 1820 to 1859. His name is learned by all recruits at United States Mari ...

, the longest-serving

Commandant of the United States Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps. It is a four-star general position and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The ...

, who served from 1820 to 1859. He moved to

Colchester, Virginia Colchester is a historic unincorporated community on the Occoquan River in Fairfax County, Virginia. History Colchester is a former tobacco port established in 1753. The port town was located on the old post road and Thomas Mason (son of Geor ...

, in 1756. Henderson served in the

Virginia militia The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the English militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulso ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. He represented Fairfax County in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

1783–1784 and Prince William County 1789–1790. He was a Virginia delegate to the

Mount Vernon Conference The Mount Vernon Conference was a meeting of delegates from Virginia and Maryland held at Mount Vernon on March 21–28, 1785, to discuss navigational rights in the states' common waterways. On March 28, 1785, the group drew up a thirteen-point pr ...

in 1785 which led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He also served as a

vestryman A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of W ...

Pohick Church Pohick Church, previously known as Pohick Episcopal Church, is an Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Episcopal church in the community of Lorton, Virginia, Lorton in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Often called the "Moth ...

and a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of Fairfax and Prince William Counties. Henderson moved to

Dumfries, Virginia Dumfries, officially the Town of Dumfries, is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 4,961 at the 2010 United States census. Geography Dumfries is located at (38.567853, −77.324591). ...

, in 1787, where his home, Henderson House still stands. There he opened a store with additional outlets later opening in Colchester, Occoquan, and

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

and leading him to be considered the "father of the American

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many p ...

.". At the Clan Henderson Society of the United States of America website. Accessed September 25, 2007.

Death

Henderson died on November 22, 1815, in Prince William, Virginia. He was buried at the Henderson Cemetery.

References

External links

Alexander Henderson
at the Historical Marker Database. {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Alexander 1738 births 1815 deaths Merchants from colonial Virginia 18th-century American merchants Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia militiamen in the American Revolution

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

Politicians from Glasgow Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Dumfries, Virginia British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 18th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly