After the war, he was elected to Georgia's House of Assembly and later became governor of the state. Hancock, a Massachusetts native who studied business at Harvard College, was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence.
With plenty of room in the document, he inscribed his name large and with dramatic flourishes. His name stands out so vividly on the Declaration that "John Hancock" became a synonym for "signature" as in "Put your John Hancock right there".
His revolutionary activities included delivering a stirring oration commemorating the Boston Massacre and support of the Boston Tea Party, and he served as both the president of the Continental Congress and the governor of Massachusetts. The father of William Henry Harrison, the ninth U. In his time, he was known as one of Virginia's wealthiest men.
His descendants included two U. A successful farmer, Hart entered public service as a justice of the peace and was subsequently elected to the New Jersey Assembly.
In , he invited some 12, of George Washington's troops to camp on his farm to rest before resuming their battles with the British. Washington lunched with Hart before holding his July 12 Council of War nearby, at which the general planned his attack on Staten Island. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, and educated at what was then called Princeton College, Hewes moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, and established a successful shipping business.
He was known as the leading expert in maritime affairs in the Continental Congress, and placed his ships at the disposal of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He later became secretary of the congressional Naval Affairs Committee.
The son of a wealthy planter, Heyward studied law in both England and America, becoming one of the earliest advocates of the patriot cause in South Carolina. To the dismay of his father, who feared that the British would hang him in retaliation, Heyward signed the Declaration of Independence just after his 30th birthday, and went on to join the South Carolina Militia as a captain of artillery.
He later served as a judge in his native state for 15 years before retiring. Boston-born and educated at Harvard, where he studied law, Hooper settled in the North Carolina town of Wilmington in He served for two years in the Continental Congress, and became a judge of the Federal Court after independence before retiring in ill health. He died young, at Apparently self-educated, Hopkins was politically active as a young man but also became a successful shipbuilder, credited with helping to transform Providence into a major commercial center.
He and his friend Benjamin Franklin were the two oldest signers. Hopkins was also a cousin of the traitorous Benedict Arnold. Born into a wealthy Philadelphia family, Hopkinson studied law there and in England, and held several judgeships in Pennsylvania, though he represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention.
He was an accomplished writer and composer, whose works included a satirical anti-British ballad, set to the tune of "Yankee Doodle," called "Battle of the Kegs. A self-taught lawyer born in the Connecticut town of Windham, Huntington was successively an attorney, tax collector, town-meeting moderator, and justice of the peace in nearby Norwich, going on to hold several higher offices in the colony.
After independence, he became lieutenant-governor and chief superior court judge in Connecticut, and for a decade was its governor. He is credited with helping to build roads and develop industry in the state. When John F. Kennedy hosted an assemblage of Nobel Prize winners from around the Western Hemisphere at the White House in , he remarked "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
He was also the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. One of the only pair of brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence, Lee was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the first democratically elected legislative body in British North America and a hotbed of revolutionary sentiment later dissolved by the British. It continued to meet in secret at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. He was an associate of Patrick "Give me liberty or give me death!
A signer with his brother, Francis, Lee was likewise a radical member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Lee was elected to attend the first Continental Congress in He was to become the first state senator from Virginia under the newly formed U. Lewis was born in Wales and educated in Scotland and England, then worked as a merchant in London before emigrating to New York to set up his own business in He subsequently entered into international trade, making several trans-Atlantic voyages and surviving two shipwrecks off the coast of Ireland.
Though he grew wealthy, he turned his attentions to radical causes and, along with fellow signer Philip Livingston, contracted to supply arms and ammunition to the rebellious colonists.
He was a strong supporter of independence in the Continental Congress, and continued to serve in that body after being elected to the New York State Senate in Livingston was also one of the founders of King's College, which became Columbia University. One of the two youngest signers, along with Edward Rutledge — both were 26 — Lynch attended Cambridge University in England and studied law in London.
Back home, he was elected to the Continental Congress, but fell ill shortly after signing the Declaration. Late in , he and his wife sailed for the West Indies, but the ship disappeared and neither was ever heard from again. The Pennsylvania-born McKean held an astonishing number of positions in both that state and Delaware over the course of his career, including member of the Delaware Assembly, Delaware delegate to the Stamp Act Congress, collector of Customs and commissioner of revenue for New Castle County Delaware , delegate to the Continental Congress, president of Delaware, and both chief justice and later governor of the new state of Pennsylvania.
Born in Charleston but educated at Cambridge University in England, Middleton traveled around Europe for three years before returning to South Carolina, where he was elected to the provincial House of Commons.
He was active in the defense of Charleston against the British, but was captured and spent a year imprisoned. The Records of the Federal Convention of , rev. A member of Virginia's General Assembly, George Mason did not serve in the Continental or Confederation Congresses at any point during his political career. Featured Search Historical Highlights of the House. Learn about Foreign Leader Addresses. Featured Search the People of the House. Majority Leaders. Bean Soup!
Featured Black Americans in Congress. Featured Mace of the U. Many of the delegates had fought in the American Revolution and about three-fourths had served in Congress.
The average age was The delegates named George Washington presiding officer and spent four months, from May to September, behind closed doors, hammering out the framework of a new, more powerful national government. Of the 55 original delegates, only 41 were present on September 17, , to sign the proposed Constitution.
President George Washington asked him to become the first Secretary of the Treasury but he declined the position and recommended Alexander Hamilton instead. After governmental service, Morris was deeply involved in land speculation in the District of Columbia and in Ohio. Morris died penniless in James Wilson —Wilson returned to Pennsylvania after the Constitutional Convention and played a major role in its successful ratification.
He was deeply involved in questionable land deals and soon got himself in severe financial difficulty. He died a pauper in He was appointed a seat in the United States Senate in but resigned again before the end of his appointment in Charles Pinckney —He was elected governor of South Carolina ; ; , and also served as a United States Senator He resigned his senate seat to become minister to Spain from , served in the South Carolina state legislature , and then became a member of the House of Representatives from where he adamantly opposed the Missouri Compromise.
However, the situation was resolved before it could come to that. He ran unsuccessfully for the vice presidency as the Federalist candidate along with John Adams in Pinckney also lost his bid for the presidency against Thomas Jefferson in and James Madison in He was then appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in , but was not confirmed because of his negative feelings toward the Jay Treaty.
John Blair —His accomplishments were overshadowed by contributions of James Madison, but his support for the Constitution was rewarded by President George Washington with an appointment to the United States Supreme Court in He served in that position until his retirement due to ill health in James Madison —When the work of the Constitutional Convention was completed, Madison went on to play a major part in its ratification process by joining John Jay and Alexander Hamilton in writing the " Federalist Papers ".
He outlived all of the other Founding Fathers. George Washington —Washington served for eight years as the first President of the United States under the new Constitution. His first four years were dominated by domestic issues and the second four years by foreign policy issues. During the administration of President John Adams there was a threat of war with France, and again, Washington came back to serve his country in the capacity of Commander-in-Chief.
With the threat of war over he went back to live his last days at his beloved Mt. He died there on December 14, Call to order: or order pocket constitution books online.
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