Patrick Henry document signed ("P. Henry") as Governor of Virginia. One partially printed page of vellum, 14.75" x 13.75", Richmond, Virginia; May 17, 1786. Docketed. 1786 Land Grant signed by Patrick Henry as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Certificate granting 2,000 acres of land in Fayette County, Virginia, to one Martin Hawkins, signed "P. Henry" as Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. With accompanying hand-colored engraving of Henry. Patrick Henry (1736-1799) was a key participant in the founding of America and one of the Revolution's most renowned orators. Born in Virginia to a Scottish-born planter, Henry tried his hand at several livelihoods before he ultimately chose to study British and colonial law. After induction to the Virginia bar, Henry rapidly tackled cases and became known for his passionate and persuasive speeches. He was just 29, mere days into his service in the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, when he delivered a key speech attacking the Stamp Act, firmly establishing his name in the wider realm of politics and revolution. He is often credited as uttering the immortal words, "give me liberty or give me death" at the Second Virginia Convention in March 1775, but in the style of a truly skilled and knowledgeable orator, Henry did not write his speeches in advance and surviving records are reconstructed from memory. Henry went on to serve in the Continental Congress, though he did not sign the document for want of a Bill of Rights, and then as Virginia's first Governor 1776-1779 and again in 1784-1786. Condition: Creased along folds with a few small areas of paper loss at intersections, chiefly unaffecting text. Scattered foxing. Adhesive and paper residue to edges of verso, presumably from prior mounting. Signature dark and bold. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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