Show 0 neil edvin KM e ena nc Byll by ELMO SCOTT WATSON f in declaration of allf independence pen dence Is the charter of 0 american freedom and the men who affixed th their 0 ir signatures to it in ahl philadelphia ladelphia one hundred and fifty four years yea rs ago ore are known as 11 americas 60 immortals strictly speaking none of ali aliese ese CO 50 w was a s an american tor for alt 1 1 of them as citizens of the british colonies in north america were subjects 4 jec is of iris HIS majesty king g george III of england Cn gland hut but what Is even more interesting Is the fact that eight of them were not even born on american soil and because of that fact it may be accurately stated that eight foreigners helped win amerlean american independence by their part in the event we celebrate on july 4 of these eight foreigners three were born in ireland two in england two in scotland and one la a wales so every part of the british empire th thus u a contributed to the founding of a new nation which should be deeply rooted la in the british tradition A few of them rendered other services to the new republic which guaranteed being remembered by tile nation which they helped to found but the most of them are all but forgotten now so it can be fairly sold sald that their fame rests upon that one stroke of their pens curiously enough it Is the penmanship of one which has perpetuated petua ted his name and mude made it familiar to thousands of americans I 1 that man Is button gwinnett who was born in england la in 1732 the same year that george washington was born in this country after being engaged in business in bri bristol atol tor for several years lie he emigrated to charles ton S 0 and then removed to savannah go ga in where lie he became a general trader in 1770 he purchased n plantation plant nUon atlon on st catherines island and known as the leading agriculturist of the colony of georgia OR on january 20 1770 GwIn gwinnell neLt was ap 14 11 1 1 ca pointed it a delegate to the continental congress and as a representative from georgia signed the declaration of independence gwinnett was re reelected elected in october 1770 1776 appointed a member of the state government of georgia in february 1777 and Is said to have furnished the hasta basis for tile the state constitution that was afterwards adopted in march bearch of that year he was appointed president of the provincial council but was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in III may alay lie he was also an unsuccessful candidate for the position of brigadier bil gadler general of tile the continental brigade to be levied in georgia embittered bitt ered by this and irritated by other incidents in which his successful opponent gin gen lachland mcintosh figured OwIn gwinnett nett challenged challen geil to a duel it was fought with pistols lit it a distance af of 12 feet on may 15 1777 and both were wounded givin nett so seriously that lie he died 12 d days ays later years later when auW graph collectors begun began seeking complete sets of atia autograph of the signers it was discovered that signatures by tills ihla georgia statesman were practically ills his untimely death had occurred before lie had occasion to agn anany public documents and aind tie lie does not seem to have been a prolific letter wilter As far back as 1830 a Owin gwinnett nett autograph sold for or forty years inter one brought the alie un beard aicard of price pi ice of 5 But tills this MIS only tile the beginning A heert time lima later another sold floal for 18 X and in march 1027 a letter signed by button iwan nett and ova other signers yi guers was vas sold for fop 51 MII tile I 1 tic other english born signer was robot morrea whose hose fame vests resu not no BO much upon tits ills Algrin ture either alther to that document or auy any other as upon lits services sei vices to tile the riot cause gave illin the title of financier of the revolution lie he inq horn born lit in liverpool taud january 1 20 10 1734 nd upon to this country nt at the azof entered the counting ln house of charles willing a Welli tny merchant chev tie ho the lie training that was t tac bd ba of saidi value to tits country later ity bilu tin p wor 0 of a suu son thomas morris soon rose to a position of prominence in the quaker city add because of his opposition to the stamp act and other measures involving colonial rights he vins elected a delegate to the continental congress which issued the declaration of independence pen perl dence lie hai was reelected elected re la in 1777 and aguin in 1778 As a member of the ways and means lie he more than once saved the revolution devolution from financial collapse black back of the brilliant campaign of gen nathanael Nii thannel greene in 1780 1730 was the sturdy figure of morris who had sub supplied pIled greene with the munitions of war and in the same year he raised which enabled washington to make inake his dash daab against cornwallis at yorktown and bring au an end to the war elected superintendent ol of cw 14 hway 44 finance in 1781 he found the financial situation desperate the government I 1 of f the new nation was in debt and it seemed that it must fall even after it had won its independence morris saved it by organizing the bank of north america with a c capital stock of of which morris himself subscribed in 1780 morris was elected to the 1 pennsylvania legislature and in 1787 sat in the convention which framed the united states constitution in 1788 pennsylvania honored lilia by electing him to the first united states senate a post which he be held until 1705 1703 ile he had been offered the post of secretary of the treasury tn in ing tons cabinet but declined it and recommended alexander hamilton for the position lie he went into the east bast indian and china trade with gouverneur morris but ills his speculations ended disastrously and it Is to the eternal discredit of the nation which he helped found and more than once saved that for several years robert morris was allowed to languish in a debtors cell lie he died in philadelphia slay may 8 1800 only a little less important historically tori tor cally leally than the two english born were the two scotch born signers james wilson and john witherspoon both were distinguished educators as well ia statesmen witherspoon as president preside tit of princeton college and wilson as a professor in the city college of philadelphia which later merged into the university of re pennsylvania n wilson allson was born at st andrews scotland september 14 1742 and emigrated to this country in itai from the first he espoused the patriot cause and after several terms amt 10 as s provincial representative was chos en to the continental congress to which lie was twice reelected elected re lie ile served on several committees of congress and was appointed superintendent of indian affairs for the middle district at the outbreak of nf hostilities lie became colonel ot of a pennsylvania regiment of militia and served in tile the new jersey campaign of 1770 but soon wua forced ta tali retire front from tile field to attend to tits his many civil duties after independence was ft as won lie was elected to congress in 17 1782 and proposed the general phin of taxation which was adopted the lie following i bear ear in the constitutional convention lie he supported direct popular and a single executive and much in ile de the diameter arater ch f the cou on ution which was aa after the now new government went ment into oper oner atlon willoa under tile constitution wilson became a lender leader in n the federalist party and in october 1789 washington appointed him an aa associate so clate justice of the supreme court a position which be held until his death in edenton N 0 august 23 28 1708 john witherspoon was born in gif ford scotland february Sil the son of a minister witherspoon was from edinburgh university in 1742 lie ile stud led theology and was ordained minister of the parla parish of belth in 1745 and installed pastor at paisley in 1757 in 1758 balwas he was moderator of the synod of glasgow and ayr ile he declined the presidency of princeton college in 1700 1766 but accepted the second invitation and came to the united states and was inaugurated president of princeton to in 1708 1768 witherspoon was the leader of the presbyterians rians in this country and was influential in attaching the scotch and scotch irish population of th the because colonies to the patriot cause because of his efforts in behalf of colonial rights which caused it to be said of him that he be was as high a son of liberty as any man in america lie he was chosen a member of the convention that framed new jerseys first constitution a member of the provincial congress of new jersey in 1770 and delegate in the continental congress from to 1783 during the revolution he was a member of the secret committee of the congress on the conduct of the war and a member of the board of war in 1778 lie he was also a member of new jersey council in of tile the assembly 1783 1780 1790 and of the new jersey convention in 1787 to ratify the federal constitution he became blind in 1702 1792 and died near princeton princeton september 15 1704 although ireland contributed more of these eight foreigners who were signers none of then them subsequently rose to such positions of importance in the new nation as did the englishmen and Scotch men previously mentioned james smith was born in ire P I 1 land about 1720 coming to this country in 1720 1729 when his father emigrated to the susquehanna country to in pennsylvania sylv aula where he became a farmer young smith was educated at the college of philadelphia studied law and settled first in as a lawyer and surveyor and later in york As evidence of his versatility smith next engaged in the iron manufacturing business and was a man of considerable sid erable property at the outbreak of the revolution in 1774 he raised the first company in pennsylvania for the purpose ot of resisting great britain and was chosen as a member of the convention which met to consider a policy of from england in 1770 lie was elected to the provincial conference which met to form a new government for pennsylvania there he distinguished himself by seconding tile the motion of dr benjamin rush in favor of a declaration of independence this was unanimously adopted a and n d presented to the continental congress a few days before the declaration of independence was offered ot ile he was a member of the convention that assembled in philadelphia july 15 1770 to form a new constitution for the state and on july 20 0 until 1778 having lost tits hla fortune in the war smith returned to the practice of his bis profession in which he continued until 1801 ile he died in york va pa july 11 1803 1800 george taylors Tny lors career closely par allees that ot of smith in many daily respects respect i ile he was born bora in ireland in 17 1710 16 he Is said to have been the son of a clergyman cler unil und to have received a good education preliminary to ills hla study of medicine which lie he abandoned in order to euil emigrate grate to america in 1730 leaving homo home penniless and without tile knowledge of tits his parents lie took passage as a und on oil lili hid arrival in philadelphia bound hini elf to an iron er in durham pa ila lor was looted to the aco provin jol assembly that met in lit in 1704 1764 appointed to tin the committee on and had bail a lending leading art in the debate on the of the charter lie ile was wag reelected elected re successively until 1770 when he returned to his business which had turned out to be unprofitable in its new location so he be went back to durham again he was sent seat to the pro provincial vincil assembly and was also placed on the committee of safety as the first rumblings gs of the revolution were heard he was it a member of the committee appointed to draw up instructions for delegates to the continental congress these instructions forbidding them to vote tor separation from england Englan 4 were revoked in june 1776 because five of the pennsylvania delegates hesitated to agree to the declaration of independence pen dence others were chosen in their place on july 20 taylor was one of these and taking his seat scat the day of his election he haklits had his lits chance tobe to i become one of the immortals when the engrossed copy of the declaration was pr presented L dented for the signature of the delegates on august 2 ue he retired from the congress con gres in 1777 and died ineas in easton pa february 23 1781 the third irish born signer was matthew thornton who was born some somewhere whereon on the emerald isle about 1714 and who emigrated with his father to america two or three years later the Thorn thorntons tons first settled in maine then removed to massachusetts where matthew was wag educated he studied medicine in leicester and built up a profitable practice in londonderry don derry N IL during the french and indian war he went as a surgeon with the new hampshire troops la in the expedition against Lou louisberg louisburg Louls burg isburg later he was appointed a juluce of the peace and also served as a colonel of tile the militia because of his active part in the overthrow of the royal government of 0 new hampshire at the outbreak of the revolution doctor thornton was chosen president of the provisional convention in 1773 he also served as chief justice of the court of common pleas and from 1770 to 1782 as ai judge of the superior court of new hampshire he was chosen s speaker eaker of the assembly in january 5 1779 1776 and in september of that year was elected delegate to the continental congress As in the case of the pennsylvania delegates he was allowed to sign his bis name to the engrossed copy of the declaration although he be was elected after its passage and did not to take ke ills his seat in the congress until november of 1778 he was reelected elected re tor for another year in december but retired from public office tn in 1779 eventually he settled in newburyport mass where rebe he died june 24 the sole welsh member of the band of immortals francis lewis had a stirring career born in Lian llandaff daff wales tn in march 1713 he was left an orphan at an early age but was given a good education in westminster school by his distinguished uncle the dean of st pauls after a thorough training in the commercial life of london he be decided to strike out for himself upon becoming of age so he a sold 0 id his patrimony invested in merchandise and embarked for this country where he established mercantile houses in new york and philadelphia he was ata at Oswego in 1752 1732 serving as a volunteer aide to gen hugh mercer when that post was capture ij 4 I 1 by the french and Ind indians luns ile he was given up as a prisoner of war to the indians ile he was taken to montreal and then sent to france but finally finalli was exchanged and returned to his home where the british government gave gae him acres of land for his services lie he was one of the first to join the sons of liberty and at the outbreak of the revolution his position us lis a wealthy mer merchant chani b rought brought him into political prominence Us he was a member of the first continental congress was one of the new york committee of and on several armr arm und finance committees ile he served lu the congress which adopted the declaration la and in 1777 was reelected elected re to that body ile he was appointed commissioner InIss loner of tile the board of admiralty in 1779 1770 and became a res vestryman tryman in the historic trinity church a position which lie he held until tits his death ta la new york city december 19 1803 1603 t lili warn union cion |