Roger Sherman (April 19,1721 - July 23, 1793) was the only individual to sign all four of the founding documents; The Articles of Association (1774); The Declaration of Independence (1776); The Articles of Confederation (1781) and The Constitution (1787). Originally from Newton, MA, he moved to New Milford in 1743. He was a shoemaker, shopkeeper, Town Clerk and because of his mathematical ability he became New Haven County surveyor. Although his formal education was limited, he displayed a great aptitude for learning. He was urged to read for the bar and became a lawyer 1754. He represented New Milford in the CT House of Representative, was elected to the General Assembly, served as a Justice of the Peace and later as a Justice on the CT Superior Court for 23 years. Also, he was treasurer of Yale University and Mayor of New Haven. During the Second Continental Congress he served on the committee in charge of drafting the Declaration of Independence. He proudly voted to adopt the document on July 4th, 1776. He later played a key role in the framing of the US Constitution. With Oliver Ellsworth, they came up with the "Connecticut Compromise". This broke the deadlock at the convention over legislative representation. It established two senators for each state regardless of population. Well regarded by his peers, Thomas Jefferson once described him, "That is Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life."
Monday, July 1, 2013
The Signers of the Declaration of Independence - Part 1
Connecticut sent four men to the Second Continental Congress, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, Oliver Wolcott, and William Williams.
Only two were present and voted for the adoption of the Declaration of
Independence on July 4, 1776. All eventually signed it. The actual signing of the document by all 56 men took nearly six months.
Roger Sherman (April 19,1721 - July 23, 1793) was the only individual to sign all four of the founding documents; The Articles of Association (1774); The Declaration of Independence (1776); The Articles of Confederation (1781) and The Constitution (1787). Originally from Newton, MA, he moved to New Milford in 1743. He was a shoemaker, shopkeeper, Town Clerk and because of his mathematical ability he became New Haven County surveyor. Although his formal education was limited, he displayed a great aptitude for learning. He was urged to read for the bar and became a lawyer 1754. He represented New Milford in the CT House of Representative, was elected to the General Assembly, served as a Justice of the Peace and later as a Justice on the CT Superior Court for 23 years. Also, he was treasurer of Yale University and Mayor of New Haven. During the Second Continental Congress he served on the committee in charge of drafting the Declaration of Independence. He proudly voted to adopt the document on July 4th, 1776. He later played a key role in the framing of the US Constitution. With Oliver Ellsworth, they came up with the "Connecticut Compromise". This broke the deadlock at the convention over legislative representation. It established two senators for each state regardless of population. Well regarded by his peers, Thomas Jefferson once described him, "That is Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life."
Roger Sherman (April 19,1721 - July 23, 1793) was the only individual to sign all four of the founding documents; The Articles of Association (1774); The Declaration of Independence (1776); The Articles of Confederation (1781) and The Constitution (1787). Originally from Newton, MA, he moved to New Milford in 1743. He was a shoemaker, shopkeeper, Town Clerk and because of his mathematical ability he became New Haven County surveyor. Although his formal education was limited, he displayed a great aptitude for learning. He was urged to read for the bar and became a lawyer 1754. He represented New Milford in the CT House of Representative, was elected to the General Assembly, served as a Justice of the Peace and later as a Justice on the CT Superior Court for 23 years. Also, he was treasurer of Yale University and Mayor of New Haven. During the Second Continental Congress he served on the committee in charge of drafting the Declaration of Independence. He proudly voted to adopt the document on July 4th, 1776. He later played a key role in the framing of the US Constitution. With Oliver Ellsworth, they came up with the "Connecticut Compromise". This broke the deadlock at the convention over legislative representation. It established two senators for each state regardless of population. Well regarded by his peers, Thomas Jefferson once described him, "That is Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment