Richard Henderson

Richard Henderson (April 20, 1735 – January 30, 1785) was an American jurist, land speculator and politician who was best known for attempting to create the Transylvania Colony in frontier Kentucky. Henderson County and its seat Henderson, Kentucky are named for him. He also sold land to an early settlement that went on to become Nashville, Tennessee. Henderson was born in Virginia Colony, but his family moved to Granville County, North Carolina when he was a child. There he studied law and became a member of the bar. He married in Elizabeth Keeling, an Englishwoman, in 1763 and had 6 children. Henderson was appointed judge in 1768, but retired in 1773 to pursue land deals. In 1774, he formed the Transylvania Company for that purpose. Between 1775 and 1783, he pursued various land deals in Kentucky, Tennessee and southwestern Virginia, including the Transylvania Purchase and Colony in western Kentucky and north central Tennessee. The extra-legal deals collapsed by 1783 when voided by the Virginia and North Carolina colonial governments. Henderson's Transylvania settlement was one of the early triggers of the Cherokee-American wars. After the land deals, he returned to North Carolina and held various legislative and executive positions in the North Carolina government. He died at age 49 at his home in North Carolina. Early life and law career Henderson was born in Hanover County, Virginia Colony on April 20, 1735. His parents were Samuel Henderson and Elizabeth Williams Henderson. He had a brother, Thomas Henderson. In 1745, his family moved to Granville County, North Carolina. There he studied law, was admitted to the bar, practiced law, and in 1768 was appointed judge of the Superior Court.