Thomas Nelson Jr. was an American planter, soldier, and statesman, born on December 26, 1738, in Yorktown, Virginia. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Nelson was a brigadier general in the Virginia militia and played a key role in the Siege of Yorktown. He later served as governor of Virginia. Thomas Nelson Jr. died on January 4, 1789.