Heath was born in Wicomico Parish in Northumberland County, Virginia on May 8, 1758.[1] His parents were Mary and John Heath Sr., a captain during the Indian War of 1755 and a member of the Virginia Colony's House of Burgesses.[2]
His early education was provided by tutors.[1][2] When he was seventeen in 1775, he attended the College of William & Mary.[1][2] He was proficient in ancient languages and was selected by the faculty to deliver the Latin Oration.[2] Heath was one of the four founders of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity on December 6, 1776, and served as its first president through February 24, 1778.[3][2] Phi Beta Kappa was the first Greek lettered organization to be established at an America college.[2]
Heath graduated from William & Mary in 1778.[2] In January 1779, he returned to the college to study law.[2] He was also appointed to teach composition at the college from January 23, 1779 to June 5, 1779.[2]
Heath served in the American Revolutionary War, enlisting sometime during the summer or fall of 1779 and serving until nearly the end of the war.[2][1]
Career
Heath practiced law in Northumberland County.[1][2] In the March 1792 term, he was the attorney for 54 cases before the Northumberland County superior court, making him the most active attorney in the region.[2]
He was appointed to fill a vacancy as the Commonwealth Attorney from September 10, 1781, to March 12, 1784, and again from November 15, 1787 to May 13, 1793.[1][2] He was elected to represent Lancaster County in the Virginia House of Delegates in the fall of 1782 when he was 23 years old.[2] His term was from 1782 to 1783.[2] Heath declined reelection but was elected to a second term from 1784 to 1785.[1][2]
Starting on March 4, 1773, Heath represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd Congress as an Anti-Administration party candidate.[1] He served on the committee of claims.[4] He was reelected as a Republican to the 4th Congress, serving through the end of his term on March 3, 1797.[1]
Heath declined to run for reelection to Congress and returned to his law practice in Northumberland County.[1][5]
In 1803, Governor John Page appointed Heath to the Virginia Privy Council; his term started on December 3, 1803.[5] At the same time, he continued to practice law in state and federal courts.[5] Page also served on the privy council under Governors William H. Cable and John Tyler Sr., serving until he died in October 1810.[1][5]
Personal life
Heath married Sally Ewell on December 3, 1785.[6] She was the daughter of Col. James Ewell of the plantation, Greenville, in Prince William County, Virginia.[6] The couple had four children: John Heath III, James Ewell Heath, Richard Seiden Heath, and Mary Heath.[6]
Heath and his family lived in Wicomico Parish in Northhampton County.[6] In 1791, he bought an estate that is a mile from what is now the town of Heathsville; he named the property Springfield and built a house.[6] He sold Springield and other properties in Northampton County and moved to Richmond in 1803 when he was appointed the state's privy council.[1][5]