Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Pennsylvania, Part 1

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 delegates who signed the formal break from Britain are all considered Founding Fathers. 

Pennsylvania had nine delegates, the most of the colonies. This week’s profile features George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris Jr. Their signatures are grouped in the top third column from the right of the document. 

George Clymer

Clymer was born March 16, 1739, in Philadelphia. His parents were Christopher Clymer, a sea captain, and Deborah Fitzwater. Both died when he was still a child. 

He was raised by his maternal aunt, Hannah Coleman, and her husband, William. Under the tutelage of William Coleman, Clymer learned the merchant trade. Although he didn’t have a formal education, Clymer was self-taught, since he was an avid reader. 

He married Elizabeth Meredith March 22, 1765, and they had eight children. 

He became a successful Philadelphia merchant, a skill that paid off during the Revolutionary War, in which he provided generous funding. 

After the war, Clymer served in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and represented the colony in the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He was one of only six men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.   

He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the First Congress.   

Clymer died Jan. 23, 1813, and was buried at the Friends Burying Ground in Trenton, New Jersey. 

The Navy attack transport ship USS George Clymer was named for him. It served during World War II, the Chinese civil war, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. 

The cities of Clymer, Pennsylvania, and Clymer, New York, are both named for him, as are many streets throughout Pennsylvania and New York, as well as Clymer Elementary School in Philadelphia. 

Benjamin Franklin 

Franklin was born Jan. 17, 1706, in Boston. His parents were Josiah, a soap and candlemaker, and Abiah Folger Franklin. Franklin had nine siblings and seven half-siblings. 

He married Deborah Read Sept. 1, 1730, and they had three children: William, Francis Folger and Sarah. 

Franklin is undoubtedly the most famous of the 56 signers — and he was the oldest. He was a printer, writer, musical instrument inventor, composer, inventor and diplomat. 

He was the first to chart the Gulf Stream, the warm current that sweeps up the East Coast from Florida, which was useful for efficient ship navigation. He also made the connection between volcanic eruptions and periods of global cooling caused by particulate matter in the atmosphere that blocks the sun. 

He was a self-taught Renaissance man who gained fame for inventions that included bifocals, the Franklin stove and electrical grounding to protect structures from lightning strikes.  

At 17, Franklin moved to Philadelphia, where he launched a printing business and published the widely read ”Poor Richard’s Almanack.” The publication, produced from 1732 to 1758, contained calendars, weather forecasts, astronomical information, and advice on frugality and morality, such as: “A penny saved is a penny earned” and “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” 

After signing the Declaration of Independence, he sailed to France, where he played a crucial role in securing French support for American independence. 

In 1787, Franklin was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. At its closing, when asked what kind of government had been created, he replied, “A republic … if you can keep it.” 

Franklin died April 17, 1790, and was buried in Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. 

Hundreds of cities, streets and schools bear his name. Perhaps the most interesting was the State of Franklin, a short-lived state in what is now East Tennessee. 

Franklin has also appeared on postage stamps, the Franklin half-dollar coin and the $100 bill. There is also the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, a large statue of him in Philadelphia. 

Robert Morris Jr. 

Morris was born Jan. 20, 1734, in Liverpool, England. His parents were Robert Morris Sr., a shipping agent, and Elizabeth Murphet. However, he was raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was young.

In 1747, Morris, 14, and his father immigrated to America and settled in Oxford, Maryland. He was sent to Philadelphia for an apprenticeship. After his father died in 1750, Morris inherited his estate and became a successful shipping merchant.   

Morris married Mary White March 2, 1769, and they had seven children. 

Known as the “Financier of the Revolution,” Morris financed a large portion of the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. He was appointed as Agent of Marine from 1781 to 1784 — a precursor title to secretary of the Navy — as well as the first and last superintendent of finance. The latter title became secretary of the Treasury. In 1789, although George Washington appointed Morris to the position, he declined and suggested Alexander Hamilton. 

After the war, he became a U.S. senator, representing Pennsylvania from 1789 to 1795.  

Morris died May 8, 1806, and was buried in the Christ Church Cemetery in Philadelphia.