Thomas Burke (governor)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician, lawyer, and statesman from Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. He represented North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and was the third Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
of the state.
Burke was born in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
around 1747. By 1764 he had emigrated. Thomas went to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and practiced medicine for a number of years. He studied law, and began its practice in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. He became an early supporter of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, writing tracts in opposition to the Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
. In 1774 he moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Burke's neighbors made him a member of the provisional or rebel government that met in convention at Halifax in 1776. There he had a part in the debate that led to North Carolina's new constitution. He was chosen as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
on December 20, 1776 and arrived in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to take his seat on February 4, 1777. He was a strong state's rights advocate, although he moderated this view somewhat by 1781. In September 1777 most of the Congress were preparing to flee Philadelphia as the British advanced. Burke instead went to join General Nash's
Abner Nash
Abner Nash was the second Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina between 1781 and 1782, and represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1786....
North Carolina troops defending the city. He was present at the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
before rejoining the Congress.
Burke served in Congress until 1781, when he was chosen to be Governor of North Carolina
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
. He returned home to assume that office in June. As governor he was active in supporting and encouraging the militia in its resistance to British and Tory forces. Then, in September, he was captured by Tories under the command of Col. David Fanning, and imprisoned by the British Army on James Island
James Island (South Carolina)
James Island is one of South Carolina's most urban Sea Islands. The island is separated from peninsular downtown Charleston by the Ashley River, from the mainland by Wappoo Creek and the Wappoo Cut, and from Johns Island by the Stono River...
near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
.
Burke was allowed to live freely on the island under parole, but he was subject to mistreatment and deplorable conditions, and he feared assassination. Finally, on January 16, 1782, he escaped and made his way to North Carolina. He wrote to the British that he still considered himself under the terms of his parole. He resumed his duties as governor prior to being released from parole through exchange. Accordingly, many North Carolinians and Continental officers considered that he had broken his word, and he remained under a cloud of dishonor. In April 1782 he did not stand for the governorship and was succeeded by Alexander Martin
Alexander Martin
Alexander Martin was the fourth and seventh Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1782 to 1784 and from 1789 to 1792.-Biography:...
.
Burke's health never recovered from his term of imprisonment. He retired to his home, known as 'Tyaquin, in Orange County
Orange County, North Carolina
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...
. He died there on December 2, 1783, and was buried on his plantation near Hillsborough
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. The gravesite is approximately 350 feet north of what is now Governor Burke Road.
It has been claimed that Burke was a practicing Roman Catholic who succeeded politically in an era when Catholics held little political power and were often discriminated against. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11108a.htm, http://www.dinsdoc.com/weeks-1-5.htm No contemporary evidence of Burke's Catholicism exists, and he did not write about it himself.
Burke County, North Carolina
Burke County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 89,148 people, 34,528 households, and 24,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 37,427 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
is named for him.