Henry Middleton (1717– June 13, 1784) of South Carolina was the second President of the Continental Congress from October 22, 1774, until Peyton Randolph was able to resume his duties briefly beginning on May 10, 1775. His father was Acting South Carolina Governor (1725-1730) Arthur Middleton (1681-1737).

While a delegate to the Continental Congress, Middleton resigned in order to prepare for the coming war. He was succeeded by his son Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), who went on to sign the United States Declaration of Independence.

Arthur's son, also named Henry (1770-1846), had a long career in politics. He was Governor of South Carolina (1810-1812), U.S. Representative (1815-1819), and the Minister to Russia (1820-1830).

Several of Henry's other children married well:

• Hester was married to S.C. Lt. Governor Charles Drayton {See below}-grandson of South Carolina Governor William Bull. {Federal Judge William Drayton, Sr. was father of Charles Drayton and Congressman William Drayton; the Drayton brothers were cousins of Congressman William Henry Drayton. W.H. Drayton father of US Navy Captain Percival Drayton and CS General Thomas Fenwick Drayton.

• Mary Polly was married to Congressman Pierce Butler. Mary Butler was the daughter of Col. Thomas Middleton. She was Henry's cousin.

• Henrietta was married to Governor Edward Rutledge.

• Sarah was the first wife of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Charles Pinckney's brother Thomas Pinckney's son Thomas Pinckney Jr married Elizabeth Izard, a distant cousin of Congressman Ralph Izard. (Charles and Thomas Pinckney's sister Harriott was married to Daniel Horry, whose daughter married a son of South Carolina Governor John Rutledge. They were thus connected to the Grimké; Huger; Drayton; Laurens families of South Carolina and the Forten family of Philadelphia).

• Thomas married Anne Manigault. Their daughter Esther married Ralph Stead Izard, a distant cousin of South Caroina Congressman Ralph Izard and Alice De Lancey. (Alice was a niece of James DeLancey; James DeLancey's sister Susannah was the wife of Sir Peter Warren (Admiral). James DeLancey's daughter Anne was a wife of loyalist Thomas Jones (historian)). Another daughter, Elizabeth Middleton, was married to Ralph DeLancey Izard, son of Congressman Ralph Izard.

(Note: Joseph, a brother of Anne Manigault, was first married to a daughter of Arthur Middleton and Mary Izard; by Joseph Manigault's second marriage to Charlotte Drayton he was the father of Confederate General Arthur Middleton Manigault (1824-1886), whose wife was a cousin 1st removed of Confederate General Benjamin Huger. Charlotte Drayton was the daughter of Charles Drayton and Hester Middleton {above}).