Henry Rhodes was born in North Carolina in about 1715. A resident of Onslow County, North Carolina he became a local justice of the peace and the county sheriff in 1759. As sheriff, Rhodes was responsible for arresting, guarding, and executing accused criminals. Rhodes represented Onslow in the North Carolina Colonial Assembly in 1774, as well as in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th North Carolina Provincial Congresses. During the American Revolution, Rhodes served in the Onslow Regiment of the North Carolina Militia as a lieutenant colonel. He died in Onslow in December 1780.