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Thomas Harwood
Member From: 1629 - 1649
- Birth Date: Unknown Birth Place:
- Death Date: 1652
- Gender: Male Race: Caucasian
- Spouse: Grace
- Children:
- Religion:
- Education:
- Military Service:
- Occupation/Profession:
- Additional Info: 1629, 1630, 1632 Feb.-Mar. [Keethes Creek to Mulbury Island and Saxon's Goale], 1632 Sep. [Mulbury Island], 1633, 1640 [Warwick river], 1642 [Warwick River], Feb. 1645 [Warwick County], 1647-1648 [Warwick County], 1649 [Warwick]
- Bio: THOMAS HARWOOD presided over the House of Burgesses at the assemblies of 1647-1648 and 1649. Harwood came to Virginia in 1623 aboard the Margret and John and his first wife, Grace arrived aboard the George. They settled at the neck of land near Jamestown, but in 1628 he moved to Mulberry Island. There he was elected a burgess to the assemblies 1629, 1630, 1632, and 1633. No lists of burgesses survive for the years of 1634-1639, but Harwood probably was elected to most, or all, of those assemblies. Governor Sir John Harvey named him as "one of the chieff of the mutinous Burgesses" who had thrust Harvey out of office in 1635. Warwick River County elected Harwood to the assembly of 1640, he probably was present at the assembly of 1641 (for which no list is extant), and he was a burgess at the assembly of 1642. Captain Thomas Harwood did not attend the assemblies of 1643 or 1644; in the latter year he may have been fighting with the thirty-five men he had raised from Warwick County to join William Claiborne in an Indian campaign. Harwood served in the House of Burgesses for Warwick County in February 1645, was absent from the next two assemblies, and returned to the assembly of 1647-1648, at which he was elected Speaker. Harwood was reelected Speaker at the assembly of 1649, which declared it treason to doubt the succession of Charles II to his father's throne, and Harwood was named to the Council on 30 April 1652 after the colony had surrendered to the authority of Parliament. He died later that year.
- Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices:
Speaker of the House of Burgesses: 1647-49
Member of the Council of State: 1652
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1629 | Mulberry Island | ||||
| 1630 | Mulberry Island | ||||
| 1632 Feb | Mulberry Island | ||||
| 1632 Sept | Mulberry Island | ||||
| 1633 | Mulberry Island | ||||
| 1640 | Warwick River | ||||
| 1642 | Warwick River | ||||
| 1645 | Warwick County | ||||
| 1647-1648 | Warwick County | Speaker of the House | |||
| 1649 | Warwick County | Speaker of the House |
*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.