The Signers, A Sample

By Ed Maier, Former Andersen Partner

We just celebrated one of the most important holidays of the year – Independence Day – the 4 ^th of July. I hope that during your holiday celebrations, you took a moment to reflect on the significance of this historical day. Its importance is immeasurable to each of you, to everyone in our country, and even to the world. On July 4, 1776, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. I doubt that most of us could name more than a few of the signers. And those we would name would be the most well-known or famous, e.g., Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock. When we were taught American History and the subject of the fight for independence came up, theirs were usually the names we would hear most often. But what about the others? Who were they? What did they do?

Here is a small history lesson for you. Let me introduce you to five of the 56 signers you might not have heard or read about, unless perhaps you were an American history major in college. My source for these is https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/index.html .

William Whipple -- was born at Kittery Maine, on January 14, 1730. He was educated at a common school until his early teens, when he went off to sea to find his fortune. He was an able seaman, earning the position of Ship's Master by the age of 21. He worked hard and amassed a great deal of money. In 1759 he landed in Portsmouth and, in partnership with his brother, established himself as a merchant. Calls to public duty began almost immediately. He was elected to several local offices and was involved in the Patriot movement.

In 1775 he was elected to represent his town at the provincial congress. The following year New Hampshire dissolved the Royal government and reorganized with a House of Representatives and an Executive Council. Whipple was made a Council member, a member of the Committee of Safety, and was promptly elected to the Continental Congress. He served there through 1779, though he took much leave for military affairs. In 1777 he was made Brigadier General of the New Hampshire Militia. General Whipple led men in the successful expedition against General Burgoyne at the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga.

After the war Whipple was appointed an associate justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire. He suffered from a heart ailment for several years and he died, fainting from atop his horse while traveling his court circuit, on November 28, 1785.

Button Gwinnett -- Button Gwinnett was born in England around 1735. He came to America, residing briefly in Charleston, and in 1765 acquired a large tract of land in Georgia. Gwinnett enjoyed little success in farming or business but found a footing in the revolutionary politics of his adopted colony. In 1776 he was appointed commander of Georgia's continental militia (a post that he was forced to decline, owing to political faction), and elected to attend the Continental Congress. Quite soon after he signed the Declaration, he returned home, where he hoped to gain appointment, once again, to the leadership of the Georgia militia. The appointment went instead to a rival. Gwinnett served in the Georgia legislature where he was involved in drafting a constitution for the new state. The legislature adjourned in February of 1777 and handed control over the Council of Safety. Gwinnett succeeded Archibald Bulloch as president of the council soon afterward. He then led an abortive attempt to invade Florida to secure Georgia's southern border. That adventure was thwarted and Gwinnett was charged with malfeasance. He was cleared of wrongdoing as he ran an unsuccessful campaign for Governor. Soon afterward, his honor was challenged in public by a long-time personal enemy, Lachlan McIntosh; he offered a duel. They met outside of Savannah on May 16, 1777, where both were wounded. McIntosh ultimately survived. However, Button Gwinnett died three days later at the age of 42.

George Taylor -- Little is known about George Taylor. He was a working man and little concerned with politics, though he acted in service to his nation when called. He was born in Northern Ireland and emigrated to America in his early twenties. He was an Ironmaster at the Warwick Furnace and Coventry Forge. Later he and a partner leased an iron furnace in Bucks County. Iron production was his principal concern his entire life.

Taylor was elected to the provincial assembly for Pennsylvania in 1764 and was reelected for five consecutive years. He was a member of the committee to draft the instructions of Pennsylvania delegates to the first Continental Congress, a member of the Committee of Correspondence, and of the Committee of Safety. In 1775 he was appointed to replace a member of the Pennsylvania delegation who refused to support Independence. He arrived too late to vote but did sign the Declaration. He served in Congress through 1777. He was then elected to the new Supreme Council of his state, but served for only six weeks, apparently due to illness. There is no record of any public service afterward. He died in 1781 at the age of 65.

Francis Lightfoot Lee-- Francis Lightfoot Lee (brother of Richard Henry Lee, also a signer) was born in Westmoreland, Virginia, on October 14, 1734. He was educated at home by Doctor Craig, in the manner of an enlightened country gentleman. In 1765 he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he served until 1775. He was a noted radical, on the side of Patrick Henry in opposing the Stamp Act. He Joined the group who called for a general congress and a Virginia Convention in 1774. He attended that convention and that year was sent to the first Continental Congress. He represented his state there until 1779, working on numerous committees. He retired from the Congress in 1779 and returned to his home. He served for a while in the Virginia Senate and then retired to private life. He died in 1797.

Caesar Rodney -- Caesar Rodney was born on his father's farm near Dover, Delaware, in October of 1728. He was tutored by his parents and may have attended a local Parson's school but received no formal education. His father died when Caesar was 17. He was placed in the guardianship of Nicholas Ridgely who was a clerk of the peace in Kent County, and this seems to be the root of Rodney's life in politics. In 1755, under the royal government, Rodney was commissioned High Sheriff of Kent County Delaware. This was quite a distinction for a man twenty-two years of age and he apparently honored the distinction, for in succeeding years his official capacities grew to include registrar of wills, recorder of deeds, clerk of the orphan's court, and justice of the peace. At age thirty he attained his first elected office as a representative in the colonial legislature at Newcastle where he served until the legislature was dissolved in 1776. He then resumed the seat as a representative to the Upper House of the State of Delaware until 1784.

Rodney was a leading patriot in his colony, a member of the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, a formative member of the Delaware Committee of Correspondence, a military leader in the colonial militia, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from formation until 1777. The following year he was elected President of the State of Delaware for a three-year term, a duty that he assumed even as he served as Major-General of the Delaware Militia. In this office he played a crucial part not only in the defense of his own colony but in support of Washington's Continental Army, for Delaware had a record of meeting or exceeding its quotas for troops and provisions throughout the revolutionary conflict. Rodney's health and strength flagged for a time. He suffered from asthma and from a cancerous growth on his face, for which he never attained proper treatment. He saw his colony through the war at the cost of personal neglect.

In 1782 he was again elected to the national Congress but was forced to decline the office due to failing health. He nonetheless continued to serve as Speaker to the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly. He died in that office, in June of 1784.

These five, along with 51 others came together for the specific purpose of creating a new, independent country. History records they had many different beliefs, many differences of opinion. Several of them were well-known to us as leaders in the early years of our country. But the vast majority were just common men who were focused on the effort to break away from what they believed to be tyrannical leadership. History shows that there have been several occasions when our country has faced serious issues which, if not resolved, could tear us apart. In all of those, similar actions were taken by similar groups of people—many of whom were unknown and never made it into the history books. But each of them was an American who believed in the principles that our founders created.

The pundits and politicos of today spend a good bit of time screaming into their microphones about the state of affairs in our country. They cannot get together to solve some of our most fundamental issues, let alone create a foundation similar to what these 56 men did. As the sun set on this 4 ^th of July, as I watched the sky light up with numerous fireworks displays in our area, I held a hope that mostly silent, common-sense people in this country will still come together to deal with the issues we face. As we move into the future, I challenge all of us, including myself, to do something to achieve that end.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. If you have any comments, I would enjoy hearing from you at edmaier46@gmail.com . If you enjoy my writing and would like additional samples, go to www.amazon.com and pick up my book – Think Straight. Talk Straight.