Samuel Hardy Samuel Hardy ( 1758 – October 17 , 1785 ) was an American lawyer and statesman from Virginia , who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress . Born in Isle of Wight County , Virginia , Samuel was educated at Virginia 's College of William and Mary , began the practice of law , and served in the Virginia House of Delegates . He was a member of the Continental Congress from Virginia from 1783 until 1785 . On May 6 , 1784 , he voted against the resolution in the Congress restricting the salary of a foreign minister of the United States to $ 8 , 000 , and on May 7 opposed the motion that the salary of a United States Secretary for Foreign Affairs should not exceed $ 3 , 000 per annum . In May , 1784 , he nominated Thomas Jefferson as minister plenipotentiary to Europe to assist John Adams and Benjamin Franklin in negotiating treaties of commerce ; and in January , 1785 , was a member of a committee that reported on letters that had been received from United States ministers in Europe relative to a foreign loan . He was for a time Lieutenant Governor of Virginia . Hardy died in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania while traveling to the Congress , and is buried in the Christ Church Cemetery there . He was a friend of Alexander Hamilton , who wrote a poetical tribute to his memory . Hardy County , West Virginia is named in his honor . External link Hardy’s biographic note at U.S. Congress website This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton 's Cyclopedia of American Biography .  This article about a Virginia politician is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Appleton 's Cyclopedia | Continental Congressmen | Members of the Virginia House of Delegates | 1758 births | 1785 deaths | Virginia politician stubs 