John Henry Stalls the Articles of Confederation
John Henry was a US Senator and Governor of Maryland.
Published 5/9/19 - Updated 12/7/21
John Henry
John Henry was born into a wealthy family in Maryland and was sent to the prestigious West Nottingham Academy. Henry furthered his education by travelling to London to study law.
When he returned to the United States, independence had been declared.
At just 27 years old, Henry was elected to the Maryland Assembly and soon thereafter was sent to the Continental Congress.
Stalling the Articles
During the four years he spent in Congress, Henry is probably best known for his resistance to the Articles of Confederation.
It was not that Henry disliked the Articles. John’s concern (and the concern of the Maryland Assembly) was that several other States had not given up their claims to western lands. For example, what was to stop Virginia from owning 85% of the continental United States while Maryland was trapped on the coast.
During this time, Henry was nominated as Ambassador to Morocco, but he did not want the position. It seems he was more interested in sticking around and fighting for his State’s rights.
Senator/Governor
John Henry returned home for several years (during which time, his replacement was given permission to ratify the Articles) but came back for three more sessions in the Continental Congress.
Having established himself as a solid representative of Maryland on the national stage, Henry was elected as an inaugural member of the United States Senate. He served in this position throughout the Washington Administration, only resigning upon receiving election as Governor of Maryland.
John spent one year as Governor, his most notable contribution being the reorganization of the State Militia, but did not seek reelection due to failing health.
Henry’s decision was probably best as he passed away just a month after leaving office at the young age of 48.
To read about other inaugural Senators, try one of these articles:
Philip Schuyler - The Major General From New York
George Read - A New Delaware, A New Nation
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Want to read about the Articles of Confederation?
‘We Have Not a Government’ discusses the Articles and why they were replaced by the Constitution.
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