Alexander Henderson (American politician) explained

Alexander Henderson
Office1:Virginia House of Delegates
(Fairfax County)
Term Start1:1783
Term End1:1784
Office2:Virginia House of Delegates
(Prince William County)
Term Start2:1789
Term End2:1790
Birth Date:3 March 1738
Birth Place:Glasgow, Scotland, US
Death Place:Prince William, Virginia, US
Nationality: American
Occupation:merchant and politician
Spouse:Sarah Moore

Alexander Henderson (March 2, 1738 – November 22, 1815) was a merchant and politician in the British colony and American state of Virginia.

Biography

Henderson was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He married Sarah Moore . He was the father of Archibald Henderson, the longest-serving Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, who served from 1820 to 1859. He moved to Colchester, Virginia, in 1756.[1]

Henderson served in the Virginia militia during the American Revolution. He represented Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates 1783 - 1784 and Prince William County 1789 - 1790.[2]

He was a Virginia delegate to the Mount Vernon Conference in 1785 which led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He also served as a vestryman at Pohick Church and a magistrate of Fairfax and Prince William Counties.[1]

Henderson moved to Dumfries, Virginia, in 1787, where his home, Henderson House still stands. There he opened a store with additional outlets later opening in Colchester, Occoquan, and Alexandria and leading him to be considered the "father of the American chain store."[3]

Death

Henderson died on November 22, 1815, in Prince William, Virginia. He was buried at the Henderson Cemetery.[1]

References

  1. Web site: Alexander Henderson. The historical Marker Database. Prince William County, Virginia. 2022-03-23.
  2. Web site: The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776 - 2008 . Kromkowski, Charles A. . University of Virginia Library . July 2, 2013.
  3. http://clanhendersonusa.org/historyshendersons_us.htm History's Hendersons

External links