LAURENS, Wrens, Henry, American pa triot and statesman: b. Charleston, S. C., 1724; d. there, 8 Dec. 1792. He was a mercantile clerk in London and Charleston and in the latter place established a successful business. An opponent of royal aggression, he was in volved in numerous disputes with the Crown judges regarding their decisions in marine law and the admiralty courts. Having withdrawn from active business, in 1771 he went to Eng land and was there one of the 38 Americans who in 1774 signed a petition to advise Parlia ment against passing the Boston port-bill. In 1775 he became a member of the first South Carolina provincial congress, in 1776 vice-presi dent of the Council of Safety in that colony and from 1 Nov. 1777 to 10 Dec. 1778 was presi dent of the Continental Congress in succession to Hancock. He sailed in 1779 as Minister to Holland for the negotiation of a treaty with that country, but his packet, the Mercury, was captured by the British, he was examined by the Privy Council and from 6 Oct. 1780 was
imprisoned for about 15 months in the Tower on suspicion of high treason. Having been exchanged for Cornwallis, he was sent to Paris, where, with Adams, Franklin and Jay, he signed the preliminary treaty of peace with Great Britain 30 Nov. 1782. The collections of the South Carolina Historical Society con tain many of his papers. Consult °Henry Laurens: Narrative of his Capture and Con finement in the Tower of London' in (Collec tions) of the South Carolina Historical Society (Vol. I, Charleston 1857) ; Moore, Frank, 'Cor respondence of Henry Laurens of South Caro lina,' in (Materials for History' (New York 1861); Dawson, H. B. (ed.),