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All of the colonies were represented in Philadelphia
to consider the delicate case for independence and to change the
course of the war. In all, there were fifty-six representatives
from the thirteen colonies. Fourteen represented the New
England Colonies, twenty-one represented the Middle Colonies and
twenty-one represented the Southern Colonies. The largest
number (9) came from Pennsylvania. Most of the signers were
American born although eight were foreign born. The ages
of the signers ranged from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin
Franklin), but the majority of the signers were in their thirties
or forties. More than half of the signers were lawyers and
the others were planters, merchants and shippers. Together
they mutually pledged “to each other our Lives, our Fortunes
and our sacred Honor.” They were mostly men of means
who had much to lose if the war was lost. None of the signers
died at the hands of the British, and one-third served as militia
officers during the war. Four of the signers were taken captive
during the war and nearly all of them were poorer at the end of
the war than at the beginning. No matter what each of these
men did after July 1776, the actual signing of the Declaration
of Independence which began on August 2 ensured them instant immortality. The
following gives a bit of information about each signer AFTER the
signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Connecticut
Samuel Huntington
(1731-1796)—Samuel Huntington was a self-made
man who distinguished himself in government on the state and
national levels. He was the President of Congress from 1779-1781
and presided over the adoption of the Articles of Confederation
in 1781. He returned to Connecticut and was the Chief
Justice of the Superior Court in 1784, Lieutenant Governor
in 1785 and Governor from 1786-1796. He was one of the
first seven presidential electors from Connecticut.
Roger Sherman (1723-1793)—Roger
Sherman was a member of the Committee of Five that was chosen to
write the Declaration of Independence. He and Robert Morris
were the only individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence,
the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He
was the Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766-1789,
a member of the Continental Congress from 1774-81; 1783-84 and
a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Sherman
proposed the famed “Connecticut Compromise” at the
convention and represented Connecticut in the United States Senate
from 1791-93.
William Williams
(1731-1811)—William Williams was a graduate
of Harvard, studied theology with his father and eventually
became a successful merchant. He fought in the French-Indian
War and returned to Lebanon, Connecticut where he served for
forty-four years as the town clerk. He was elected to
the Continental Congress from 1776-1777, and after signing
the Declaration of Independence, Williams was a member of the
committee that was instrumental in framing the Articles of
Confederation. He was a delegate to vote on the ratification
of the Federal Constitution and also served as a Judge of the
Windham County Courthouse.
Oliver Wolcott (1726-1797)—Oliver
Wolcott was as much a soldier as he was a politician and served
as a brigadier general in the New York campaigns from 1776-1777. As
a major general, he was involved in defending the Connecticut coast
from attacks by the Royal Governor of New York. He was Commissioner
of Indian Affairs in 1775 and from 1784-89, a delegate to the Continental
Congress from 1775-76 and 1778-84, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
from 1786-96 and Governor from 1796-97.
Delaware
Thomas McKean (1734-1817)—Thomas
McKean was the last member of the Second Continental Congress to
sign the Declaration of Independence. He was a delegate to
the Continental Congress from 1774-81 and served as a delegate
to the Congress of the Confederation from 1781-1783. After
1783, McKean became involved in the politics of Pennsylvania becoming Chief
Justice of Pennsylvania and the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1799-1812. He
retired from politics in 1812 and died at the age of 83 in 1817.
George Read (1733-1798)—George
Read was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who
voted against the proposal for independence introduced by Richard
Henry Lee of Virginia. He was elected to the Continental
Congress from 1774-1776, was a member of the Delaware Constitutional
Convention in 1776, acting Governor of Delaware in 1777, a Judge
on the Court of Appeals in 1780, State Senator from 1791-92, a
United States Senator from 1789-1793 and Chief Justice of the State
of Delaware from 1793-98.
Caesar Rodney (1728-
1784)—Caesar Rodney took a strong stand
in favor of independence and because of that, was not reelected
to Congress because of the conservatives in the state of Delaware. They
also blocked his election to the state legislature and his
appointment to the state’s constitutional convention. He
was interested in military affairs and was involved in action
in Delaware and New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. He
was reelected to Congress in 1777 and was nominated as state
president from 1778-1781. He died in 1784 while serving
as Speaker of the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly.
Georgia
Button Gwinnett (1735-1777)—After
the Governor died in 1777, Button Gwinnett served as the Acting
Governor of Georgia for two months, but did not achieve reelection. His
life was one of economic and political disappointment. Button
Gwinnett was the second signer of the Declaration to die as the
result of a duel outside Savannah, Georgia.
Lyman Hall (1724-1790)—Lyman
Hall was one of four signers trained as a minister and was a graduate
of Princeton College. During his life he also served as a
doctor, governor and planter. During the Revolutionary War,
his property was destroyed and he was accused of treason. He
left Georgia and spent time in South Carolina and Connecticut to
escape prosecution. When the war was over, he went back to
Georgia and began to practice medicine. He served as Governor
of Georgia from 1783-1784.
George Walton (1741-1804)—George
Walton was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776, 1777, 1780
and 1781, Colonel of the First Georgia Militia, in 1778, Governor
of Georgia from 1779-1780, Chief Justice of the State Superior
Court of Georgia from 1783-89, a presidential elector in 1789,
Governor of Georgia from 1789-1790 and a United States Senator
from 1795-1796. During the Revolutionary War, Walton was
captured by the British in 1778 during the attack on Savannah and
released within the year. He was the founder of the Richmond
Academy and Franklin College which later became the University
of Georgia.
Maryland
Charles Carroll (1737-1832)—Charles
Carroll was one of the wealthiest men in America and was the oldest
and longest surviving signer of the Declaration. From 1789-1792
he served as one of Maryland’s two United States Senators. He
retired from politics in 1804 and spent the rest of his life managing
his 80,000 acres of land in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Samuel Chase (1741-1811)—Samuel
Chase was called the “Demosthenes of Maryland” for
his oratorical skills. In 1785 he represented Maryland at
the Mt. Vernon conference to settle a dispute between Maryland
and Virginia concerning navigation rights on the Potomac River. He
served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
from 1796-1811. He was the only Supreme Court justice to
be impeached in 1805. He was charged with discriminating
against supporters of Thomas Jefferson, and he was found to be
not guilty.
William Paca (1740-1799)—William
Paca was elected to the Continental Congress from 1774-78, appointed
Chief Justice of Maryland in 1778, Governor of Maryland from 1782-1785
and Federal District Judge for the State of Maryland from 1789-99. He
was also a planter and a lawyer, but was a relatively minor figure
in national affairs. William Paca also served as a delegate
to the Maryland ratification convention for the Federal Constitution.
Thomas Stone (1743-1787)—Thomas
Stone was one of the most conservative of the signers along with
Carter Braxton of Virginia, George Read of Delaware and Edward
Rutledge of South Carolina. He was elected to the Congress
from 1775-78 and again in 1783. He was chosen to be a delegate
to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 but had
to decline because of the poor health of his wife. Shortly
after she died in 1787, a grief stricken Stone died a few months
later before making a trip to England.
Massachusetts
John Adams (1735-1826)—John
Adams was the first Vice-President of the United States and the
second President. He was a member (along with Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman) chosen
to draft the Declaration of Independence. He was the first
President to attend Harvard University and the first to have a
son become president.
Samuel Adams (1722-1803)—Samuel
Adams was known as the “Firebrand of the Revolution” for
his role as an agitator between the colonists and the British prior
to the outbreak of hostilities on April 1775. He served in
the Continental Congress until 1781 and was a member of the Massachusetts
State Senate from 1781-1788. Because he was opposed to a
stronger national government, Adams refused to attend the Constitutional
Convention in 1787. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
from 1789-1793 and Governor from 1794-1797.
Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814)—Elbridge
Gerry served for a time as a member of the state legislature of
Massachusetts. Although he attended the meetings in Philadelphia
to write a new Constitution, at the end he was opposed to it because
it lacked a bill of rights. However, after a “change
of heart,” he was a member of the House of Representatives
for the first two Congresses from 1789-1793. He was Governor
of Massachusetts in 1810 and 1811 and died in office as Vice-President
under James Madison in 1814.
John Hancock (1737-1793)—John
Hancock was the President of the Second Continental Congress when
the Declaration of Independence was adopted. He, along with
Samuel Adams, were the two most wanted men in the colonies by King
George III. He served as a major general during the Revolutionary
War. He was elected Governor of Massachusetts from 1780-1785
and 1787 until his death in 1793. He was the seventh President
of the United States in Congress assembled, from November 23, 1785
to June 6, 1786. John Hancock was one of the original “fathers” of
U.S. independence.
Robert Treat Paine
(1731-1814)—Robert Treat Paine was elected
to the Continental Congress, in 1774 and 1776, Attorney General
for Massachusetts from 1777-1796, Judge, Supreme Court of Massachusetts
from 1796-1804 and State Counselor in 1804. During his
time in Congress, Paine concentrated primarily on military
and Indian concerns. Because of his opposition to many
proposals, he was known as the “Objection Maker.” Paine
was one of the original founders of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences.
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795)—Josiah
Bartlett served in Congress until 1779 and then refused reelection
because of fatigue. On the state level he served as the first
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1779-1782), Associate (1782-1788)
and Chief justice of the Superior Court (1788-1790). Bartlett
founded the New Hampshire Medical Society in 1791 and was the Governor
of New Hampshire (1793-1794).
Matthew Thornton
(1714-1803)—Matthew Thornton served as
Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, was
an Associate Justice of the Superior Court and was elected
to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was one of six
members who signed the Declaration of Independence after it
was adopted by the Continental Congress. He left Congress
to return to New Hampshire to become an Associate Justice of
the State Superior Court. He spent his remaining years
farming and operating a ferry on the Merrimack River.
William Whipple (1730-1785)—William
Whipple was a former sea captain who commanded troops during the
Revolutionary War and was a member of the Continental Congress
from 1776-1779. General Whipple was involved in the successful
defeat of General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. He
was a state legislator in New Hampshire from 1780-1784, Associate
Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court from 1782-1785, and
a receiver for finances for the Congress of the Confederation. He
suffered from heart problems and died while traveling his court
circuit in 1785.
New Jersey
Abraham Clark (1726-1794)—Abraham
Clark was a farmer, surveyor and politician who spent most of his
life in public service. He was a member of the New Jersey
state legislature, represented his state at the Annapolis Convention
in 1786, and was opposed to the Constitution until it incorporated
a bill of rights. He served in the United States Congress
for two terms from 1791 until his death in 1794.
John Hart (1711-1779)—John
Hart became the Speaker of the Lower House of the New Jersey state
legislature. His property was destroyed by the British during
the course of the Revolutionary War, and his wife died three months
after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. During
the ravaging of his home, Hart spent time in the Sourland Mountains
in exile.
Francis Hopkinson
(1737-1791)—Francis Hopkinson was a judge
and lawyer by profession but also was a musician, poet and
artist. When the Revolutionary War was over, he became
one of the most respected writers in the country. He
was later appointed Judge to the U.S. Court for the District
of Pennsylvania in 1790.
Richard Stockton
(1730-1781)—Richard Stockton was trained
to be a lawyer and graduated from the College of New Jersey. He
was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776 and was the
first of the New Jersey delegation to sign the Declaration
of Independence. In November 1776 he was captured by
the British and was eventually released in 1777 in very poor
physical condition. His home at Morven was destroyed
by the British during the war and he died in 1781 at the age
of 50.
John Witherspoon
(1723-1794)—John Witherspoon was the
only active clergyman among the signers of the Declaration
of Independence. He was elected to the Continental Congress
from 1776-1782, elected to the state legislature in New Jersey
from 1783-1789 and was the president of the College of New
Jersey from 1768-1792. In his later years he spent a
great deal of time trying to rebuild the College of New Jersey
(Princeton).
New York
William Floyd (1734-1821)—William
Floyd had his estate in New York destroyed by the British and Loyalists
during the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the United
States Congress from 1789-1791 and was a presidential elector from
New York four times. He was later a major general in the
New York militia and served as a state senator.
Francis Lewis (1713-1802)—Francis
Lewis was one who truly felt the tragedy of the Revolutionary War. His
wife died as an indirect result of being imprisoned by the British,
and he lost all of his property on Long Island, New York during
the war. When his wife died, Lewis left Congress and completely
abandoned politics.
Philip Livingston
(1716-1778)—Philip Livingston was not
in Philadelphia to vote on the resolution for Independence,
but did sign the actual Declaration of Independence on August
2, 1776. During the Revolutionary War, the British used
Livingston’s houses in New York as a navy hospital and
a barracks for the troops. He was the third signer to
die after John Morton of Pennsylvania and Button Gwinnett of
Georgia.
Lewis Morris (1726-1798)—Lewis
Morris was a delegate to the Continental Congress, from 1775-77,
a county judge in Worchester, New York from 1777-1778, served in
the New York state legislature from 1777-1781 and 1784-1788 and
was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the State
of New York. During the Revolutionary War, Morris was a brigadier-general
in the New York state militia, and all three of his sons served
under General George Washington.
North Carolina
Joseph Hewes (1730-
1779)—Joseph Hewes was a merchant who was
one of the most conservative signers of the Declaration of
Independence. He was a graduate of Princeton College,
and he along with John Adams helped to establish the Continental
Navy. He was a member of the state legislature from 1778-1779
and was eventually reelected to the Continental Congress. He
died a month after his reelection.
William Hooper (1742-1790)—William
Hooper was a graduate of Harvard College and was highly successful
in law and politics. Because of his family situation and
financial difficulties, he resigned from Congress to return to
North Carolina. During the war he was separated from his
family for ten months and his property was destroyed. After
the war, he was elected to the state legislature and served there
through 1786.
John Penn (1740-1788)—John
Penn was one of sixteen signers of the Declaration of Independence
who also signed the Articles of Confederation. He was a member
of the Continental Congress from 1775-77; 1779-80 and a member
of the Board of War in 1780 which shared responsibility for military
affairs with the governor. In 1784 he became a state tax receiver
under the Articles of Confederation. After retiring from
politics, he practiced law until his death in 1788.
Pennsylvania
George Clymer (1739-1813)—George
Clymer had a great deal of financial talent and signed both the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. His home
was vandalized by the British in 1777 during the American Revolutionary
War. He served in the Pennsylvania state legislature from
1784-1788 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from 1789-1791. He was later appointed as “collector
of taxes” on alcoholic beverages (especially whiskey) in
Pennsylvania from 1791-1794.
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)—After the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin helped to negotiate
the Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 and the Treaty of
Paris which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783. He
was one of the framers of the Constitution and was known as
the “Sage of the Convention.” He was also
elected President of the Pennsylvania Society for the Promoting
of the Abolition of Slavery.
Robert Morris (1734-1806)—Robert
Morris has been considered the “Financier of the Revolution,” and
contributed his own money to help such causes as the support of
troops at Valley Forge and the battles of Trenton and Princeton. In
1781 he suggested a plan that became the Bank of North America
and was the Superintendent of Finance under the Articles of Confederation. Morris
was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and was later
offered the position of Secretary of the Treasury under the administration
of George Washington. He declined the position and suggested
Alexander Hamilton who became our first Secretary of the Treasury.
He served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1789-1795.
John Morton (1725-1777)—John
Morton was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence
to die and was one of nine signers from Pennsylvania. He
was elected to the Second Continental Congress from 1774-77, and
was the chairman of the committee that reported the Articles of
Confederation. He contracted an inflammatory fever and died
in Ridley Park, Delaware County, Pa., in April 1777, and is buried
in St. Paul’s Burial Ground in Chester, Pennsylvania.
George Ross (1730-1779)—George
Ross was elected to the Second Continental Congress from 1776-1777,
was a colonel in the Continental Army in 1776; was Vice President
of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in 1776 and Judge
of the Admiralty Court of Pennsylvania in 1779. He was not a
member of Congress when it voted for independence on July 2, 1776. Because
of illness, he was forced to resign his seat in Congress in 1777.
Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)—Benjamin
Rush was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776, appointed
Surgeon General in the Middle Department of the Continental Army
in 1777, instructor and physician at the University of Pennsylvania
in 1778, Treasurer of the U.S. Mint from 1779-1813, and professor
of Medical Theory and Clinical Practice at the University of Pennsylvania
from 1791-1813. During the Revolutionary War, Rush was part
of an unsuccessful plot to relieve General George Washington of
his military command. He was the most well-known doctor and
medical instructor in the United States. He was a trustee
of Dickinson College, helped to found the Pennsylvania Society
for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and was a member of the
American Philosophical Society.
James Smith (1719-1806)—James
Smith was elected to the Continental Congress on July 20, 1776
after the votes had been taken on the resolution for independence
and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. From
1779-1782 he held a number of state offices including one term
in the state legislature and a few months as a Judge of the state
High Court of Appeals. He was also appointed a brigadier general
in the Pennsylvania militia in 1782.
George Taylor (1716-1781)—George
Taylor came to the colonies as an indentured servant and eventually
was an Ironmaster at the Warwick Furnace and Coventry Forge. He
was a member of the Continental Congress from 1775-1777. He
returned to Pennsylvania and was elected to the new Supreme Executive
Assembly, but served for a very short period of time because of
illness and financial difficulties. His Durham Furnace
manufactured ammunition for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary
War.
James Wilson (1742-1798)—James
Wilson was elected to the Congress from 1775-77 and 1785-87, chosen
to be one of the directors of the Bank of North America in 1781,
a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and appointed
by President George Washington to be an Associate Justice to the
US. Supreme Court from 1789-1798. He experienced personal
and financial difficulty in his later years and spent time in debtor’s
prison while serving on the Supreme Court.
South Carolina
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
(1746-1809)—Thomas Heyward was a planter
and lawyer and was one of three signers from South Carolina
captured and imprisoned by the British. He signed the
Articles of Confederation while a member of the Continental
Congress. He returned to South Carolina and became a
judge and a member of the state legislature. The British
destroyed Heyward’s home at White Hall during the war
and he was held prisoner until 1781. After the war, he
served two terms in the state legislature from 1782-1784. Thomas
Heyward became the first President of the Agricultural Society
of South Carolina.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
(1749-1779)—Thomas Lynch, Jr. was an
aristocratic planter who was the youngest signer of the Declaration
of Independence to die at the age of thirty. He was trained
as a lawyer and graduated from Cambridge University in England,
and was elected to the Second Continental Congress to carry
on the duties of his ill father. Thomas Lynch Sr. and
Thomas Lynch Jr. were the only father and son team to serve
concurrently in the Continental Congress. Thomas Lynch,
Jr. and his wife were enroute to France in 1779 when their
ship was lost at sea.
Arthur Middleton
(1742-1787)—Arthur Middleton was chosen
to replace his more conservative father in the Continental
Congress in 1776, but failed to attend most of the sessions. He
was captured by the British and was held captive for over a
year in St. Augustine, Florida. During the time of his
incarceration, the British destroyed most of his property. After
his release in 1781, Middleton returned to politics and served
in the Virginia state legislature and was a trustee of the
College of Charleston.
Edward Rutledge (1749-1800)—Edward
Rutledge was elected to the Continental Congress from 1774-76 and
1779, a captain in the Charleston Battalion of Artillery from 1776-1779,
a state legislator from 1782-1798, College of Electors in the presidential
elections of 1788, 1792, 1796 and elected Governor for South Carolina
in 1798. He was the youngest of the signers of the Declaration
of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, Rutledge was
a military captain involved in the campaigns at Port Royal Island
and Charleston, South Carolina. He was captured by the British
in 1780 and held as a prisoner until 1781. From 1782-1798
Rutledge was a member of the state legislature and was elected
Governor in 1798.
Rhode Island
William Ellery (1727-1820)—William
Ellery served with distinction in the Congress of the Confederation
until 1786 when he accepted the post of Commissioner of the Continental
Loan Office of Rhode Island. He served in that position until
1790 when he was appointed Customs Collector in Newport. Although
the British destroyed his home during the American Revolution,
Ellery was later able to rebuild his fortune.
Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785)—Stephen
Hopkins was the second oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence
(next to Benjamin Franklin). He served on the committee that
was responsible for the creation of the Articles of Confederation. He
was forced to resign from the Congress in 1776 because of health
problems, but was elected to the state legislature of Rhode Island
upon his return.
Virginia
Carter Braxton (1736-1797)—Carter
Braxton was elected to the Virginia state legislature after the
signing of the Declaration of Independence and also served on the
Governor’s Executive Council. The American Revolutionary
War caused him great hardship and he died in financial ruin in
Richmond, Virginia.
Benjamin Harrison
(1726-1791)—Benjamin Harrison was nicknamed
the “Falstaff of Congress” and was the father of
President William Henry Harrison and great-grandfather of President
Benjamin Harrison. He was the Speaker of the Lower House
of the Virginia state legislature from 1777-1781 and served
three terms as Governor of Virginia from 1781-1783. He
was originally in opposition of the new Federal Constitution,
but later favored it when it was decided to add a bill of rights.
Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826)—Thomas Jefferson was the
chief author of the Declaration of Independence. He was
a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1776-79, elected
Governor of Virginia in 1779 and 1780, the Associate Envoy
to France in 1784, Minister to the French Court in 1785, United
States Secretary of State from 1789-1793, Vice President of
the United States from 1791-1801, President of the United States
from 1801-1809 and established the University of Virginia in
1810. He was one of the most brilliant men of his time.
Francis Lightfoot
Lee (1734-1797)—Francis Lightfoot Lee
was the younger brother of Richard Henry Lee. He signed
both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation
as well as serving on both the military and marine committees
during his time in Congress. He left Congress in 1779
and served a few years in the Virginia state legislature.
Richard Henry Lee
(1732-1794)—Richard Henry Lee introduced
the resolution for independence to the Second Continental Congress
in June 1776. He was a Virginia state legislator from 1780-1784
and served in the national Congress again from 1784-1789. He
was initially opposed to the Constitution because it lacked
a bill of rights, but he was elected Senator from Virginia
from 1789-1792. However, Lee was forced to resign in
1792 due to poor health.
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
(1738-1789)—Thomas Nelson, Jr. had his
Congressional career shortened because of health problems. He
served as the commanding General of the Lower Virginia Militia
during the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate to the
Continental Congress from 1775-77; 1779 and was elected Governor
of Virginia in 1781 after Thomas Jefferson declined reelection. He
spent his remaining years handling his business affairs.
George Wythe (1726-1806)—George
Wythe was more well-known as being a classical scholar who taught
such great men as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Marshall
and Henry Clay. He was elected to the Continental Congress
from 1775-76, Speaker of the Virginia House from 1777-78 and judge
of the Chancery Court of Virginia from 1789-1806. He was
also appointed the first chair of law at the College of William
and Mary. Wythe died mysteriously in 1806 by being poisoned.
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