Henry Middleton was born in 1717 near Charleston, South Carolina, was educated by a private tutor at home, as many wealthy children were. His family’s wealth was built on planting. After he finished his education, he held many public offices. He resigned and his son Arthur took his place. Henry was very dedicated to the King, and was a major opposition of the colony’s independence.
Middleton went to England to obtain his education and returned to South Carolina shortly after. Middleton married Mary Williams. He inherited his father’s plantation that was referred to as “The Oaks.” His father had served as an acting governor to South Carolina. He had a lot of influence over the area. He had power from his wealth and was admired for the abundance of land that he owned. The land that was in his possession was a total of 50,000 acres. This land was in South Carolina and was worked by over 800 slaves.
Political Career
In 1745 he was elected to the commons of South Carolina. He was the speaker of the commons from 1745 through 1747. He then served as a representative for St. George’s from 1754 to 1755. In 1755 he was the commissioner of Native American affairs and was elected to the South Carolina Colonial Council.
In 1770 the war broke out with the Cherokee Indians the war lasted until 1771.
During this time, Middleton resigned and to focus on business. He remained resigned until the resolutions from England touched him. He did not believe in independence for the colonies and felt that they should stay attached to their motherland.
Due to Peyton Randolph being called back to Virgina, in October of 1774 He was elected as President of the Continental Congress. His venture as president only lasted for four days.
Peyton Randolph was reelected in 1775. During this time, John Jay from New York, drafted a Petition of Congress to King George III. This was unanimously approved and was then sent to Great Britain.
Due to the petition that was sent to King George III, a letter from London was sent back. General Gage was sent in an effort to execute certain rebels from the colonies.
In 1775, Middleton was elected the President of the Provincial Congress of South Carolina. In the same year, he was also reelected as a delegate to the Continental Congress. At this point, Middleton was considered a traitor to the King. He was appointed as a member of the Council of Safety. Due to his status as a traitor to the king, his views turned toward the colonies developing a government of their own.
In 1776 Middleton was elected to a committee that was in charge of forming a new government. The details were sworn to secrecy until the final determinations were made. On February 8, 1776 a resolution was passed by the South Carolina Congress to honor the exceptional leadership of Henry Middleton and John Rutledge.
At this point, Henry Middleton was no longer able to serve in congress due to failing health. His resignation was excepted and he was then accepted as a Delegate for South Carolina.
Henry Middleton’s son, Arthur Middleton, attended 1776 session of the Continental Congress in his father’s place. Arthur Middleton voted for Independence on July 3, 1776 and went on to sign the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.
Henry Middleton began to rebuild his health and was elected to the South Carolina Legislative Council. He became a very reluctant supporter of independence during his term from 1776 to 1777. In 1778, he was elected to South Carolina State Senate and served through 1780.
On May 12, 1780, General Cornwallis captured Charleston and went on to control much of Georgia and the Carolinas. Henry Middleton swore his allegiance to the King and attempted to get the others from the colonies to do so as well.
This upset the current Continental Congress President Samuel Huntington. Maryland was the only state holding out for Ratification on the Articles of Confederation. This document would form the Union of the states and create one bonded nation.
There was no action against him by his fellow country men, since they felt that his urging to ally with the king was half hearted. He prospered in the South while many failed. The rest of his life was spent improving the agriculture of the new State of South Carolina.
In 1830, he served as the leader of the Union Party of South Carolina. He also served as the vice president of the Union Convention in 1833.
In 1761, his wife died. He remarried twice. He died in 1784 and left behind five sons and seven daughters from his first marriage. After his death, he was buried at Middleton Gardens in Charleston County South Carolina.
