Show 10 y no M n ga en dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE declaration of independence pen dence Is the charter of american freedom and tamen the men who affixed their signatures to itin it la philadelphia one hundred and fifty fafty four years ago area ore known as americas 60 66 immortals S strictly t r I 1 c t I 1 y speaking none of these 60 66 was waa un an american for all of them as citizens of the british colonies in north america were subjects 4 of ills his majesty king george III HI of england but what Is even more moie 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 dart athe 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 in wales so every part 0 of the Britt brittoh sh empire thus contributed to the founding of a new near nation which should be deeply rooted in the british tradition A few of them rendered other services to the new republic which guaranteed being remembered by the nation which they helped to found but the most of them are a ra all but forgotten now so it can he be fairly sald said that their tame 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 made it familiar to thousands of Amer americana lans linn is gwinnett uwin nett who ano was born in in 1732 the same year that george washington was born in this country after being engaged in business in bristol tor for several era years lie be emigrated to charles ton S 0 and then removed to savannah ga in 1765 where he became a general trader in 1770 he purchased a plantation on st Catherln ea island and became known as the leading agriculturist of the colopy colony of georgia ou on january 20 1770 G gannett Gln annett nett was appointed aai 9 a delegate to the continental congress and as a representative from georgia signed the declara declaration 1 tion ofin of in dependence gwinnett was elected reelected re rd in october 1770 appointed a member ot of the state government of georgia in february 1777 and Is g said to have furnished the basis for bior the state constitution that wis wag adopted in march ot that year he was appointed prest 0 council but was an unsuccessful candidate ford for governor in may blay lie he was also an unsuccessful candidate fu for the posit position foit of brigadier general of the continental brigade to be levied in georgia embittered bitt ered by this and irritated by other oilier incidents in which lils his successful opponent gen lachland fl figured 9 gwinnell Gwin nelt challenged mcintosh to a dt duel 01 it was with pistols at a distance of 12 feet on may 15 1777 and both were wounded mounded gwin nett so serious that he be died 12 days das later years later when callec tors hgan belling cel ling complete sets gets of 1 alie of the signers it was lucov lf cov ered that signatures by this georgia statesman were practically nonexistent hla alapi untimely death had occurred before lip lie had occasion to raga many amay public documents ond and he does doe snot not ebin mohave to have been a prolific letter writer As far back its as a gwinnett autograph sold for years litter later one brought the unheard he d of price of nut but tills vas v f as only the beginning A short time the later inter another sold solo for and in march 1927 t it ft letter signed signed by button geini nett and fl ive v e other signers lade rs was sold tor for the other ang ish born bom sig elguer was kobert adorris AIon ts 11 tiow fa fatrie tife jnet eo much madi hii pon li hla el either to that document lr or or ank any other as upon r lits services 9 ho patriot cause I 1 rave gave ddn tile the title oe oc cler of tile the ho vs N born iu hi liv england Uti gland Janu january 1 itry 20 1 1 17 aiu eini emigrating grating to tills this country idt the aasc of 0 fed the count ang ang il house ouse of charlas s willing a 41 philadelphia merchant merc hanL chev the training that was t tc of value to ills his country later larer ei coilla coi lua UM tive of Wil lugs son thomas morris soon rose to a position of prominence in the quaker city and because of 0 his opposition to the stamp net act and other oilier measures involving ing colonial rights right 4 he was elected a delegate to tile the continental congress which issued the declaration of independence pen dence ile he was reelected elected re in 1777 and again in 1778 As aa a member odthe of the ways and means committee he more than once saved tile the revolution from financial collapse back of the brilliant campaign of gen nathanael greene in atso was the sturdy figure of morris who had supplied greene with tile the munitions of war and in the same year gearhe he raised which enabled washington to make his dash against cornwallis at yorktown and bring an end to the war elected superintendent dent of finance in 1781 he found the financial situation desperate the government ot of the new nation was in n debt and it seemed that it must tall fall even after it had won its independence morris saved it by organizing the bank of north america with a capital stock of of which morris himself subscribed in 1788 1786 morris was elected to the pennsylvania legislature and in 1787 sat in the convention which framed the united states constitution in 1788 pennsylvania honored alia by electing him to the first united states senate a post which be held until 1795 1705 he had been offered the poat of secretary of the treasury in basri ing tons cabinet but declined it and recommended alexander hamilton for the position he went into the east indian and china trade with gouverneur morris but his speculations ended disastrously and it Is to the eternal discredit of the nation which he bell helped ed found and more than once saved that for several years robert morris was allowed allotted to languish loa ln a deb debtors tars cell he died in philadelphia ma may 8 1800 anly only a little less important historically tori tor cally leally than tile the two english born were the two scotch born bom signers james jaines wilson and jolin witherspoon both were distinguished educators as well as statesmen witherspoon as wilson as a pro professor in the city college of philadelphia which later merged into the university of pennsylvania syl vanta wilson was born at st andrews scotland bd september 14 1742 and emigrated to tilts this coun country try in 1763 from the first lie he espoused the patriot cause and after several terms A as representative was wa 9 chosen en to the continental congress to which he was twice elected reelected re he served on several important committees of congress and was napo appointed anted superintendent of in indian dinn affairs for the middle district at the outbreak of hostilities he e became chloi colonel nel of a pennsylvania regiment and r ved in the new jersey campaign of 77 but soon I 1 was vas forced to retire from the itie field to a attend to his many civil duties acter r independence rag won he was elected to eb congress agress in I IW iii ii and proposed the general plan of taxation Ws was adopted tile the folting tong fol jea bear in the constitutional torn cation lie he supported direct tar lar suffrage and a single executive and e much in fit tie de the character cliar acter ot of the cou I 1 ution which as adopted after the new went ent into oper agun aaion under ustler tile the constitution wilson becaria becala a lender leader in the afie fe federalist party and in october 1789 1780 washing appointed ton alm an justice of the supreme court a which tie held ti until all his death in edenton N G C august 28 jolin john witherspoon was born in gifford scotland february 5 1722 the son of a minister witherspoon was graduated from edinburgh 1 university in 1712 1742 17 12 he s stud led theology and was ordained minister of the parish of belth in 1745 1743 and installed pastor at paisley in 1757 in 1758 he was moderator of the synod of glasgow and ayr lie ile declined th the presidency ncy of princeton college in 1766 but accepted the second 0 nd invitation and came to the united states and was inaugurated president PrInceton of in 1768 was the leader leade of the presbyterians rians in this country and was influential in attaching the scotch and scotch irish population of ti the 0 colonies to the patriot cause because of hla his efforts in behalf of colonial rights which caused it to be said of him that he was as high a son son of liberty as any nian man in america 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 1778 1776 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 he was also a member of new jersey council in 1780 of the assembly 1783 1789 1799 1790 and of the new jersey con to ratify the federal constitution he became blind in 1702 1792 and dl died ed noir near princeton september 15 although ireland contributed more of these eight foreigners who were i signers none of them subsequently aly 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 1 I land about 1720 coming to this country in n 1729 when his fattier father emigrated to the susquehanna coun country try in pennsylvania where lie he became ii a farmer young smith was educated at the college of philadelphia I 1 a and settled first in S ippe ns lawyer law er and surveyor and Is a I 1 1 14 t As evidence of his veroa th next en engaged g liged in the f e r ilij ilius ineis and was property al a li i wt brea I 1 k di f the revolution in U afa I 1 sp I 1 d the first company jn aln pei D va lor for the purpose of titi 1 gi lf 1 7 verlian vir lian abid andwan chosen as ame of the convention met i a policy of ens ehi land f in 1770 lie he was elected the P 1 con conference ferenci which c 0 1 a bew new government f for pi la there be distinguished hit alij tile the of C rush hush jn faor favor bf 0 f a deel buc e tali imis wai d y adopted adopt eduna und readi 00 cental congress he declaration I 1 1 of 41 d 61 t fared ne bention that a asses e n phil il july 15 14 I 1 1 t conett gutlon for I 1 on oa sunyeo Sul UM I 1 yEO afi until st his 1 I nor fortus ture in the raf f at tp to the tha practice alon lawrich in la which he g U tl I 1 it ile died in york pa I 1 afify t dearm I 1 it adeer cl closely pa par allees ha ith in bany respects jle he in 1716 ild he ts Is said are been the son of a c clergyman I 1 e r jy M ad and to have received a good education preliminary to ills study 0 of f medicine cine which lie he abandoned hii in order to emigrate to america lu in 1736 1730 leaving home penniless and without the knowledge looft ledge of his parents he aie took passage as it a I tind ond on its his trivel in philadelphia bound himself to nn iron manufacture er in Durl durham iRm pa taylor tailor was elected to the lie provincial that met in in iii 17 04 was VM appointed to alie on oil grievances and had a loading leading part in the debate ou on the of the charter he ha was reelected elected re successively until 1 1770 70 w when en he cretu returned ed to tits business which had bad turned out to be unprofitable In its new location so he went back to durham again he be was sent to the provincial assembly and was also placed on the committee of safety as aa the farst rumblings gs of the revolution were heard he was a member of the committee appointed to draw up instructions for delegates to the continental congress these instructions forbidding them to vote for separation from england were revoked in june 1778 1770 because the pennsylvania delegates hesitated to agree to the declaration of independence pen dence others were chosen in their place on july 2 20 taylor was one of and taking his seat the day of fil his election selection he be had his chance to become one odthe of the Immor immortals when the engrossed copy of the declaration was waa presented for the signature of the delegates on august Z 2 he be retired from the congress in 1777 and ri ledla din easton pa february 23 1781 the third irish born signer was wag matthew thornton who was born somewhere on fae emerald isle about 1714 and who emigrated with his father to america two or three years yeara later the thorntons Thom Thorn tons first settled in maine then removed to massachusetts where Mat matthew their was educated he studley studied nie medicine gleine in leicester and built i up a profitable practice in londonderry donday don derry N H during tho the french and indian war he went as a surgeon with the new Hamp hampshire shiri troops in the expedition against lounsburg Louls burg later he be was appointed a justice of the peace and also served as a colonel of the militia because of his active part in the overthrow of the royal government of new hampshire at the outbreak of the revolution doctor thornton was chosen president of the provisional convention in 1775 jaa he also served as chief justice of the th e court of common pleas and from 1776 to 1782 as as judge of the superior court of new hampshire he was wa chosen speaker of the assembly in january 5 1778 1770 and i jn in september of that year was waa el elected delegate to the continental congress cob gress As inthe case oi of the pennsylvania delegates he was allowed ellowis to sign wit his nime name to 16 the he engross engros engro sd copy of bf the declaration alt although bough ht was elected after its passage and did not take his bis seat geat in the congress until november or of 1776 ile he was reelected elected re for another year in december but retired from public office in 1779 eventually he settled in newburyport mass where gherghe he died june 24 1803 the sole welsh member mamber of the band of immortals francis lewis had a starring eireen career born in llandaff wales ll in march 1713 he was left an ana orphan at an early age out but was given a good education in westminster school py by his distinguished uncle the dei dean naf of st pauls after a thorough training in the gommer commercial clat life of london h her decided to strike out for himself upon pon becoming i of age so he sold ifil trl mony invested la in mer ch 11 ise and embarked for this country 1 where he established mercantile in new york and philadelphia he was war at oswego in 1752 serving as a volunteer volun aide to gen hugh mercer when that post was captured d I 1 1 is lf by t idich a and n d indiana ha was given up as it a prisoner of war nar andl indians ans lie he was taken to montreal and then sent to france but finally was exchanged and returned to his home where the british govern government men t gave him acres of land an d for his services ile he was one of the first to jold join the sons of liberty and at the outbreak of the revolution his position ad as A wealthy merchant brought him into political prominence he i was a member of the first continental cong congress was 0 one ne of the tha new york committee of and on several army armr and finance committees ire he served in i the ille congress which adopted the deo dee la lar atlon rAtion and in fit 1777 was wag reelected re elected reelected re to that body ve he was appointed com Woner of the board of admiralty in 1779 and breame a vestry vestryman mp in the tits to ric tri trinity alty church cf a position which lih lie be held until his death in now new york yok city De rember 19 1803 to 1 isso N union |