Born in York, Virginia, Thomas Nelson Jr. was educated in England, attending Cambridge University. After returning to America, he was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1761 and then a member of the Virginia provincial convention after the House of Burgesses was dissolved by the royal governor. He helped establish the Virginia militia, becoming its first Commander. He went on to be elected to the Continental Congress and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Nelson County, Virginia, formed in 1807, was named for Thomas Nelson, Jr.