Members in the play are in bold; others in plain text. Numbers in braces (e.g. {50}) indicate the age of member on July 4, 1776. Links at the member’s name are usually (but not always) to USHistory.org.
JOHN HANCOCK, {39} President of Congress, 1776-7: Born 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts (that part of Braintree is now Quincy); graduated from Harvard College at age 17; inherited shipping business from his uncle; became perhaps the richest man in New England; in 1760, on a visit to England, witnessed the coronation of King George III; his sloop Liberty was impounded by royal officials; became active in revolutionary politics, including abetting the “Boston Tea Party”; elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774; became president of Second Continental Congress, 1776-7; as president, was first to sign the Declaration of Independence; said of his signature, “The British ministry can read that name without spectacles.” Became governor of Massachusetts, 1787; died 1793. (USHistory.org bio)
DR. JOSIAH BARTLETT {46} Born 1729 Amesbury, MA; studied medicine; physician at Kingston, NH; involved in politics; noted as a principled legislator, not susceptible to pressure from the Royal Governor; commander of a militia regiment 1775; elected to represent New Hampshire in the Continental Congress, 1775; voted for independence; first to sign the Declaration, after John Hancock; elected president, and then governor, of NH; died 1795. (USHistory.org bio)
MATTHEW THORNTON Born 1714, Ireland
WILLIAM WHIPPLE Born 1730, Kittery, Maine (Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820).
JOHN ADAMS: {41} Born 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts (that part of Braintree is now Quincy); graduated from Harvard College at age 20; elected to Massachusetts Assembly, 1770; successfully defended the British soldiers in the “Boston Massacre”: attended 1st Continental Congress, 1774; delegate to 2nd Continental Congress; moved for independence in May of 1776; signed Declaration of Independence, 1776; appointed Diplomat to France, 1776-79; Member of assembly to form State Constitution of Massachusetts; wrote the 1st draft; minister plenipotentiary in Europe, 1780, ’81; Party to the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, 1783; U.S. Minister to the British court, c. 1783- ’88; Elected first Vice President, 1789; President, 1796; died July 4, 1826 (the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration), within a few hours of Jefferson. (See bio at USHistory.org.)
SAMUEL ADAMS {53} Born 1722 Boston MA; died 1803, Cambridge, Ma; cousin of John Adams; some of the lines in the play given to John Adams were actually Sam’s. Whether he was responsible for instigating the “Boston Tea Party” is unclear, but afterwards he publicized and defended it.
ELBRIDGE GERRY Born 1744 Marblehead MA; mentioned in The Music Man [incorrectly] as the man for whom Gary, Indiana, was named; signed the Declaration of Independence; opposed to the Constitution; elected governor of Massachusetts, 1810 and 1811, where he redrew election districts to the advantage of his party [the (Jeffersonian) Republicans], hence the term gerrymander; elected Vice President 1812; died in office, 1814.
ROBERT TREAT PAINE Born 1731 Boston MA.
STEPHEN HOPKINS {69} Born 1707, Providence, RI; self-educated; attended Albany conference, 1754, the earliest attempt to form a confederation of colonies; delegate to 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses; second-oldest member; served in state legislature in RI; died 1785. (USHistory.org bio)
WILLIAM ELLERY Born 1727, Newport, RI.
ROGER SHERMAN {55} Born 1721, Newton, MA; at age 2, his family moved to Connecticut; largely self taught; elected to Congress, and served throughout the war; member of the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence; signed Declaration; active in Constitutional Convention; elected to US Senate; died in office, 1793. (USHistory.org bio)
SAMUEL HUNTINGTON Born 1731 CT.
OLIVER WOLCOTT Born 1726 Windsor CT.
WILLIAM WILLIAMS Born 1731 Lebanon CT.
LEWIS MORRIS {50} Born 1726 at Morrisiana in West Chester County, New York (that part is now in Bronx); graduated Yale, 1746; worked on family farm; became involved in politics; served in Congress, 1775-77, when he was replaced by his brother, Gouverneur Morris; signed Declaration of Independence; in consequence, his estate, Morrisiana, was ravaged by the British; bore loss cheerfully; spent time after the war rebuilding his estate; died 1798. (USHistory.org bio)
ROBERT LIVINGSTON {29} (did not sign, although he was in favor of independence) Born 1747, New York, NY;.educated King’s College (now Columbia University), became eminent Lawyer; politically active in the era of the Stamp Act Revolt, and was probably (along with his brother, William), involved with the Sons of Liberty in New York; in 1776 selected to attend the Continental Congress; on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence but was recalled by his state before he could sign it; appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs, where he served until 1783, when he was appointed Chancellor of the State of New York; Constitution, and served as a delegate to the New York convention held at Poughkeepsie in 1788, to ratify it; administered the presidential oath of office to George Washington., April 30, 1789; appointed as minister resident to the court of Napoleon; negotiated Louisiana Purchase; patron of Robert Fulton, who refined the steam engine; died 1813.
WILLIAM FLOYD Born 1734, Brookhaven, N.Y.
FRANCIS LEWIS Born 1713, Llandaff, Wales.
PHILIP LIVINGSTON Born 1716, Albany, N. Y.
REV. JOHN WITHERSPOON: {53} Born 1723 in a town outside Edinburgh, Scotland; took M. A. degree from University of Edinburgh; became minister of a church in Beith, Scotland; later awarded D. D. degree from University of St Andrews; became president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1768; elected to Congress in 1776, voting in favor of independence; died on his farm just outside Princeton, 1794. He was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration. It is significant that he was a Presbyterian, for the majority of Presbyterian clergy supported independence, and some in England referred to the Revolution as “the Presbyterian rebellion.” By the end of the war, the prestige of the Presbyterian church was the highest of all denominations. (USHistory.org bio)
ABRAHAM CLARK
JOHN HART
FRANCIS HOPKINSON
RICHARD STOCKTON
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN {70} Born 1706, Boston, MA; attended school only till age 10; avid reader, and largely self-taught; apprenticed to a printer; began publishing satirical articles in his teens; left Boston for Philadelphia, 1722. He boarded with a family Read, and fell in love with the 15-year-old daughter Deborah. He proposed marriage, but Mrs Read was opposed. He went to London, and while he was away, Deborah married one John Rogers, who ran away to Barbados to flee his creditors. He was lost at sea, but because of laws against bigamy, she was not free to remarry. So they just moved in together, and lived as husband and wife. In 1732 began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac; in 1742 invented the “Franklin” stove, which is still in use; in 1744 proposed a confederation of colonies for defense in the war with France (King George’s War); between 1747 and 1749 he surmised and proved that lightning was electricity, and invented the lightning rod; deputy postmaster general for the colonies, turning a mismanaged office into a source of crown revenue, and rendering important service to Gen. Braddock in his ill-fated mission against Ft Duquesne; instrumental in arguing for independence; elected to Continental Congress, where he was the oldest member; appointed to committee of five to draft Declaration of Independence; signed Declaration; appointed minister to France; secured treaty of alliance, 1778; one of the negotiators of the peace with Great Britain, 1781-83; President of Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, 1785; oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, 1785; first Postmaster General of the United States, 1789; died 1790. (USHistory.org bio)
JOHN DICKINSON {43} (Born 1732 in Maryland; educated in Deleware; read law in Philadelphia; resided three years in the Temple in London; practiced law in Philadelphia; argued forcefully and articulately for the rights of the American colonies; opposed the British policy to the colonies in the 1770s, but opposed independence; resigned from Congress, but later returned; did not sign the Declaration of Independence; signed the Constitution, as a delegate from Delaware; argued articulately for adoption of the Constitution. (biography.com bio) (USHistory.org bio)
JAMES WILSON {43} (Born 1732, Carskerdo, Scotland; attended universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, but didn’t take a degree from any of them; immigrated to America in 1766, and taught at Philadelphia College, where he was awarded an honorary MA degree; studied law under John Dickinson; passed the bar in 1766, and set up his own practice in Reading, PA, the next year; joined a committee of correspondence in Pennsylvania; argued vehemently for independence from Great Britain; elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, where he continued to advocate independence; when it came time to vote, asked for a delay, because he believed Pennsylvania was insufficiently in favor of independence; in the event, he switched to vote in favor.) (USHistory.org bio)
GEORGE CLYMER
ROBERT MORRIS
JOHN MORTON
GEORGE ROSS
BENJAMIN RUSH
JAMES SMITH (b. Dublin, Ireland)
GEORGE TAYLOR
CAESAR RODNEY {48} Born near Dover, DE, 1728; active in Delaware politics from 1755; involved in the patriot cause from 1765; delegate to Continental Congress until 1777; signed Declaration of Independence, thereby depriving him of the chance to receive treatment in England to the cancerous growth on his face; major-general in the Delaware militia; served as president of Delaware; died 1784. (USHistory.org bio)
COLONEL THOMAS McKEAN {42} [Pronounced mc-CANE] Born 1734, New London, PA, of Scots-Irish parents from Ballymoney, County Antrim, [Northern] Ireland; studied law; admitted to the bar in Delaware; active in Delaware politics; member of the 2nd Continental Congress throughout the war; signed the Declaration of Independence; commissioned a colonel in the Delaware militia; served as president of Deleware; active in drafting the Articles of Confederation and in revising the constitution of Pennsylvania; actively supported the US Constitution; elected Governor of Delaware, 1799-1812; died 1817. (USHistory.org bio)
GEORGE READ {42} Born 1733, Cecil Co., MD; studied in Chester and Philadelphia, PA; passed Pennsylvania bar; set up law practice in New Castle, Delaware,1754; active in the patriot movement; elected to Continental Congress; voted against independence, but signed Declaration; member, constitutional convention in Delaware, served as president of the committee that drafted the document; in 1777 British captured Delaware governor; Read took over as governor in the emergency; twice elected State Senator; Chief Justice of the State of Delaware; died 1798. (USHistory.org bio)
SAMUEL CHASE {35} Born 1741, Princess Anne, MD; elected to Continental Congress; signed Declaration of Independence; appointed to US Supreme Court, 1796; died 1811. (USHistory.org bio)
CHARLES CARROLL of Carrollton {49} Born 1737, Annapolis, MD, of Irish descent. He was the only Roman Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence, and the last surviving signer. He helped to establish the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the first public railroad in the United States. He died in Baltimore in 1832 at the age of 95.
WILLIAM PACA
THOMAS STONE
RICHARD HENRY LEE {44} Born 1732, “Stratford” in Westmoreland Co., VA; educated in England; member, House of Burgesses; delegate to Continental Congress; opposed to new constitution; member US Senate (1789-92) Died 1794. (USHistory.org bio)
THOMAS JEFFERSON: {33} Born 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia, he was tutored at home, and studied Latin, French, and Greek. He attended the College of William and Mary, was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1769. Married Martha Wayles Skelton, a wealthy widow, 1772. In 1775 he was chosen as an alternate delegate to the Continental Congress, but, when another delegate was unable to go, he became a full delegate. In July, 1775, Congress adopted his Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of taking up Arms. One year later he was chosen to write the draft of the Declaration of Independence. With some minor alterations by Adams and Franklin, it was submitted to Congress on July 1, and with more changes, adopted on July 4. Shortly afterward, he returned to Virginia to be with his wife and daughters. In 1779 he was elected Governor of Virginia. He went to France in 1784, and in 1785 succeeded Franklin as Minister to that country. In 1789 he was asked by President Washington to be Secretary of State. He resigned from the cabinet out of differences over policy with Hamilton and others, and became the leader of the new Republican party, opposing Hamilton and Adams in the Federalist party. He ran for President in 1796, but was defeated by Adams, but became Vice President, although he did not participate in the Adams administration. He ran again in 1800, and won. His first administration saw the major achievement of the Louisiana Purchase, and also the adoption of the 12th amendment to the Constitution, which provided for election of President and Vice-President on separate ballots. His second term was made difficult by the Napoleonic Wars, and trying to stay out of the conflict. On his initiative, Congress voted to outlaw the importation of slaves to the United States in 1808. He retired in 1809. With Madison he helped found the University of Virginia. In 1815 he sold his library to form the basis for the Library of Congress. He told Madison that he wanted to be remembered as Author of the Declaration of Independence, and Founder of the University of Virginia. Despite earlier intentions, he did not free his slaves in his will. He died on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of his Declaration, on July 4, 1826, just a few hours before Adams. (USHistory.org bio)
CARTER BRAXTON
BENJAMIN HARRISON Born 1726, Berkeley, VA. Died 1791. His son, William Henry Harrison, and great-grandson Benjamin Harrison, were President of the United States.
FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE (USHistory.org bio)
THOMAS NELSON Jr
GEORGE WYTHE {50} (Pronounced like with [wIθ]) Born 1726, Chesterville, VA; died 1806, Richmond, VA. A planter from Virginia and mentor to Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and Henry Clay. He was troubled by slavery, and freed all his slaves at the end of the American Revolution.
JOSEPH HEWES {46} Born 1730, Princeton, NJ; attended College of New Jersey (now Princeton University); established shipping business in Wilmington, NC; sent to Continental Congress, where he was the leading expert on maritime concerns; signed Declaration of Independence; placed his ships at the disposal of the Continental armed forces; died 1779. (USHistory.org bio)
EDWARD RUTLEDGE {26} Born 1749 to an aristocratic family in Charleston, SC; studied law at the Middle Temple, London; admitted to the bar in England; youngest member of Congress at the time he signed the Declaration of Independence; left Congress, November, 1776, to serve in the defense of South Carolina; returned to Congress 1779, but left to defend Charleston in 1780, where he was taken prisoner; Governor of South Carolina, 1789; died in that office, 1800. (USHistory.org bio)
THOS. HEYWARD Jr
THOMAS LYNCH Jr
ARTHUR MIDDLETON
DR. LYMAN HALL {52} Born 1724 in Wallingford, Connecticut; studied medicine at Yale, graduating in 1756; went to Charleston, SC, then to Georgia, where he bought a plantation; elected to Congress; signed the Declaration of Independence; involved in provisioning the Continental Army; returned to Georgia, 1777; charged by the British with high treason, he fled to Charleston ahead of the redcoats; then fled to Connecticut; after the war, returned to Georgia, to find his property burned; served in the Georgia Assembly, then as governor; and as judge; died 1790. (USHistory.org bio)
BUTTON GWINNETT {c. 42} (Pronounced gwin-NET) Born Down Hatherly, England, c. 1732-35; killed in a duel, 1777, near Savannah, GA.
GEORGE WALTON
Secretary
CHARLES THOMSON {46} Born 1730 in Ireland, he was brought to America at age 11. His father died from the effects of seasickness within sight of the Delaware shore. He negotiated with the Delaware Indians, who adopted him as a son. He became acquainted with Dr Franklin. As he had espoused the cause of independence, he was called as secretary of the Continental Congress in 1774, and retained that post until 1789, when that body was replaced with the new Congress under the Constitution. He prepared a history of his times, but, not willing to publish unsavory information about the people he knew, he destroyed the manuscript shortly before he died. He studied Greek, and prepared a translation of the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament) into English. (Bio at ColonialHall.com)
Custodian and bell-ringer
ANDREW McNAIR
ABIGAIL QUINCY SMITH ADAMS {31} Born 1744 Weymouth, MA; self-educated; married John Adams 1764; they shared a love of reading; separated for long periods, they wrote many letters; as First Lady, entertained at Philadelphia and at the uncompleted executive mansion in Washington, DC; died 1818; her husband John and son John Quincy Adams were President of the United States. (Bio at FirstLadies.org; Bio at WhiteHouse.gov)
MARTHA WAYLES SKELTON JEFFERSON {27} Born Martha Wayles, 1748, in Charles City County, VA; daughter of John Wayles, a planter, and Martha Eppes Wayles; married 1766 Bathurst Skelton (1744-68); they had one child, a son, John Skelton (1767-71); in 1772 she married Thomas Jefferson; they both loved music and often played duets; they had six children; all but two daughters died young; in 1781, when the British under Cornwallis were in Virginia, she was forced to flee Monticello; she died 1782, years before Jefferson became President. Their daughter Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph served as presidential hostess during Jefferson’s presidency. (Bio at FirstLadies.org; still more; Bio at WhiteHouse.gov)