American statesman, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born at Philadelphia in 1739; inherited from an uncle a comfortable fortune; in 1773 became a bold advocate for American rights, and was a member of the Council of Safety. He was also one of the first Continental treasurers; a member of Congress in 1776 and 1780; of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1784, of the constitutional convention in 1787, and of the first United States Congress in 1788. In 1796 he withdrew from public life. He died at Morrisville, PA, on the 23rd of January 1813.
