Benjamin Harrison V was born on April 5, 1726, at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison IV, held public office as both the Sheriff of Charles City County and a member of the House of Burgesses.  Harrison attended William and Mary College, where he met future revolutionaries like Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, but he soon had to leave school after his father and a sister were killed by a lightning strike. He returned home to manage the family’s 1,000-acre estate, including shipbuilding and horse breeding.

In 1748, Harrison married Elizabeth Bassett, niece of Martha Washington. They had eight children, including William Henry Harrison, who became the 9th president in 1841, and his great-grandson Benjamin Harrison, who became the 23rd president in 1889.

Harrison entered politics in 1749 as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he began opposing British rule in the 1760s. When the House passed resolutions condemning the Stamp Act, the Royal Governor tried to sway Harrison with an executive council appointment, but Harrison declined.

After the House was dissolved in 1774, Harrison was elected to the Continental Congress, and in 1776, he signed the Declaration of Independence. He returned to Virginia politics in 1777 and served as a militia lieutenant.

In 1778, Harrison was elected Speaker of the Virginia House, and in 1781, became Governor of Virginia, serving three terms. In 1788, he took part in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, advocating for protections that would later form the Bill of Rights.

Harrison returned to private life and died in Virginia on April 24, 1791, at age 65.