Benjamin Carter Harrison VI (September 9, 1755 - August 11, 1799) was an American merchant, planter, politician, and

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

. He was a son of

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Benjamin Harrison V Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant, and politician who served as a legislator in colonial Virginia, following his namesakes' tradition of public service. He was a signer of the Continental Asso ...

, a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration 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 territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. Harrison was a close friend of financier Robert Morris, a relationship that he would keep until his death. He was an older brother of President

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

and a grand-uncle of President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

Life

Benjamin Harrison VI was born at Berkeley Plantation, the ancestral home of the

Harrison family of Virginia The Harrison family of Virginia has a history in American political family, politics, public service, and religious ministry, beginning in the Colony of Virginia during the 1600s. Family members include a Founding Fathers of the United States, F ...

, in 1755. His family, the Harrison family of Virginia, was one of the

First Families of Virginia The First Families of Virginia, or FFV, are a group of early settler families who became a socially and politically dominant group in the British Colony of Virginia and later the Commonwealth of Virginia. They descend from European colonists who ...

, and were among the most wealthy and prosperous people in the state. Benjamin Harrison VI's father was

(1726–1791), a wealthy planter and slave owner, who would later become one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. His mother, Elizabeth Bassett (1730–1792), was a descendant of Captain William Bassett II, who was an officer in the King's Army, during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. When Harrison VI became a young adult, his father lost a considerable amount of property, supposedly due to his lack of mercantile skills, and sent his son away to the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based firm Willing and Morris, where he earned an exceptional mercantile education, and befriended Robert Morris and Thomas Willing, the firm's owners. Their friendships would continue to hold strong throughout their lives. After his education concluded, Harrison traveled to Europe, and began building mercantile connections, as well as his fortune. However, 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

prompted him to return home to

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 ...

, as he strongly wanted to aid his father and the Patriot cause. From 1774 to 1775, he was a member of the Charles City County Committee, as well as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. During the war, he became the Deputy Paymaster General of the Continental Army, helping finance and pay the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the Southern theater. After the war, Harrison settled in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and established himself as a successful merchant, and soon thereafter amassed a large amount of wealth. Later in life, his friend, Robert Morris, was in bad financial shape, so Benjamin took it upon himself to save his friend from ruin. He gave Morris a sizable portion of his fortune to aid him, and the latter was forever grateful. In 1790, he took over the ownership of Berkeley Plantation from his aging father, and began a large-scale renovation, adding handsome Adam woodwork and the double arches of the "Great Rooms" inside the mansion. In 1799, after years of hard work and success, Benjamin Harrison VI died in

Charles City, Virginia Charles City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Charles City County. The population as of the 2020 census was 104. The community is centered on the Charles City County ...

, at the age of 44. His legitimate son, Benjamin Harrison VII, survived him.

Benjamin Harrison VI's family

Benjamin Harrison VI married twice. First, in 1776, Harrison married Susannah Randolph (1752–1781), a daughter of Richard Randolph II (born c. 1725), who was a slave trader and the son of Richard Randolph of Curles (c. 1691–1749). They were direct descendants from Indian Princess

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

. After his first wife’s death he married a woman called Anna Mercer (1760–1787), who died in 1787, days after giving birth to a son, Benjamin Harrison VII (1787–1842). His second wife Anna Mercer was daughter of colonial lawyer John Mercer (1704–1768) and sister of military officer George Mercer (1733–1784), judge James Mercer (1736–1793) and tenth governor of Maryland John Francis Mercer (1759–1821). Some sources say that Harrison had another son, William Henry Harrison, whom he named after his

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

Legacy

Benjamin Harrison VI's accomplishments, compared to his father's, his brother's, and his grandnephew's, have been less prominent in the annals of American history. However, one interesting fact about him was that when

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

was painting his massive portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he had no portrait of signer Benjamin Harrison V to work with. So, his son, Benjamin Harrison VI, who was said to have a striking resemblance to his father, was used as his model.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Benjamin, VI 1755 births 1799 deaths American people of English descent Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Benjamin, VI People of Virginia in the American Revolution 18th-century American planters Date of birth missing Date of death missing People from Charles City County, Virginia Politicians from Richmond, Virginia People from Charles City, Virginia 18th-century American politicians