Henry Vanderburgh (c. 1760 – April 5, 1812) was an American military officer, lawyer, judge, and early Indiana Territory official. Vanderburgh County, Indiana, which includes the city of Evansville, was named in his honor when the county was organized in 1818.

Vanderburgh was born around 1760 in Troy, New York, and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He rose to the rank of captain and served in the 5th New York Regiment under Colonel Lewis Dubois. He was wounded during the war and was among the officers who served through the difficult final years of the Revolution.

Following the war, Vanderburgh moved west and became one of the early prominent residents of Vincennes, then part of the Northwest Territory. He studied law and became involved in the legal and political development of the region.

In 1790, Vanderburgh was appointed a judge of the Knox County Court of Common Pleas. He later served as a probate judge and held other judicial positions as government institutions developed in the territory.

When the Indiana Territory was created in 1800, Vanderburgh became one of its first important judicial officials. President John Adams appointed him as one of three judges of the Indiana Territory, serving alongside William Clarke and John Griffin. The territorial judges worked with Governor William Henry Harrison in establishing laws and governmental institutions for the new territory.

Vanderburgh remained a territorial judge for the rest of his life and became a prominent figure in early Indiana government. He was also associated with the territorial capital at Vincennes during a period when the settlement served as the political center for a vast region of the American frontier.

Vanderburgh died on April 5, 1812, in Vincennes, Indiana Territory.

Vanderburgh County

Six years after his death, the Indiana General Assembly created Vanderburgh County on January 7, 1818, from portions of Gibson, Posey and Warrick counties. The new county was named for Judge Henry Vanderburgh in recognition of his service to the Indiana Territory.

At the time the county was created, Evansville was still a very young settlement, having been established only a few years earlier by Hugh McGary. Evansville was selected as the county seat and eventually developed into the largest city in southwestern Indiana.

Although Vanderburgh himself was primarily associated with Vincennes rather than Evansville, his name became permanently connected with the city through Vanderburgh County. Today, the county bearing his name encompasses Evansville and remains one of the most populous counties in Indiana.

Vanderburgh’s name is consequently found throughout the Evansville area, including in the names of local government agencies, institutions, organizations and businesses derived from the county’s name.