The 1787 delegates practiced a wide range of high and middle- status occupations, and many pursued more than one career simultaneously. They did not differ dramatically from the Loyalists, except they were generally younger and less senior in their professions. [9] Thirty-five had legal training, though not all of them practiced law. Some had also been local judges. [10]
- At the time of the convention, 13 men were merchants: Blount, Broom, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Shields, Gilman, Gorham, Langdon, Robert Morris, Pierce, Sherman, and Wilson.
- Seven were major land speculators: Blount, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Gorham, Robert Morris, Washington and Wilson.
- Eleven speculated in securities on a large scale: Bedford, Blair, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Franklin, King, Langdon, Robert Morris, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Sherman.
- Twelve owned or managed slave-operated plantations or large farms: Bassett, Blair, Blount, Butler, Carroll, Jenifer, Jefferson, Mason, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Rutledge, Spaight, and Washington. Madison also owned slaves, as did Franklin, who later freed his slaves and was a key founder of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Alexander Hamilton was opposed to slavery and, with John Jay and other anti-slavery advocates, helped to found the first African free school in New York City. Jay helped to found the New York Manumission Society, Hamilton was an officer, and when Jay was governor of New York in 1798 he signed into law the state statute ending slavery as of 1821.
- Broom and Few were small farmers.
- Eight of the men received a substantial part of their income from public office: Baldwin, Blair, Brearly, Gilman, Livingston, Madison, and Rutledge.
- Three had retired from active economic endeavors: Franklin, McHenry, and Mifflin.
- Franklin and Williamson were scientists, in addition to their other activities.
- McClurg, McHenry, and Williamson were physicians, and Johnson was a college president.
[edit] Family and financesA few of the 1787 delegates were wealthy, but many of the country's top wealth-holders were Loyalists who went to Britain. Most of the others had financial resources that ranged from good to excellent, but there are other founders who were less than wealthy. On the whole they were less wealthy than the Loyalists. [11][edit] DemographicsBrown (1976) and Harris (1969) provide detailed demographic information on each man.
- Most of the 1787 delegates were natives of the Thirteen Colonies. Only 9 were born elsewhere: four (Butler, Fitzsimons, McHenry, and Paterson) in Ireland, two (Davie and Robert Morris) in England, two (Wilson and Witherspoon) in Scotland, and one (Hamilton) in the West Indies.
- Many of them had moved from one state to another. Seventeen individuals had already lived or worked in more than one state or colony: Baldwin, Bassett, Bedford, Dickinson, Few, Franklin, Ingersoll, Hamilton, Livingston, Alexander Martieno, Luther Martin, Mercer, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, Read, Sherman, and Williamson.
- Several others had studied or traveled abroad.
The Founding Fathers had strong educational backgrounds at some of the colonial colleges or abroad. [12] Some, like Franklin and Washington, were largely self-taught or learned through apprenticeship. Others had obtained instruction from private tutors or at academies. About half of the men had attended or graduated from college. Some men held medical degrees or advanced training in theology. Most of the education was in the colonies, but several were lawyers who had been trained at the Inns of Court in London. [edit] Longevity and family life Death age of the Founding Fathers. For their era, the 1787 delegates (like the 1776 signers) were average in terms of life spans. [10] Their average age at death was about 67. The first to die was Houston in 1788; the last was Madison in 1836. Secretary Charles Thomson lived to the age of 94. Johnson died at 92. John Adams lived to the age of 90. A few—Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Williamson, and Wythe—lived into their eighties. Either 15 or 16 (depending on Fitzsimons's exact age) died in their seventies, 20 or 21 in their sixties, eight in their fifties, and five only in their forties. Three ( Alexander Hamilton, Richard Dobbs Spaight and Button Gwinnett) were killed in duels. Most of the delegates married and raised children. Sherman fathered the largest family: 15 children by two wives. At least nine (Bassett, Brearly, Johnson, Mason, Paterson, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Sherman, Wilson, and Wythe) married more than once. Four (Baldwin, Gilman, Jenifer, and Alexander Martin) were lifelong bachelors. [edit] ReligionLambert (2003) has examined the religious affiliations and beliefs of the Founders. Of the 55 delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, 49 were Protestants, and three were Roman Catholics (C. Carroll, D. Carroll, and Fitzsimons). Among the Protestant delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 28 were Church of England (or Episcopalian, after the American Revolutionary War was won), eight were Presbyterians, seven were Congregationalists, two were Lutherans, two were Dutch Reformed, and two were Methodists. A few prominent Founding Fathers were anti-clerical Christians, such as Thomas Jefferson [13][14][15] (who created the so-called " Jefferson Bible") and Benjamin Franklin. [16] A few others (most notably Thomas Paine) were deists, or at least held beliefs very similar to those of deists. [17][edit] Post-convention careersThe 1787 delegates' subsequent careers reflected their abilities as well as the vagaries of fate. [18] Most were successful, although seven (Fitzsimons, Gorham, Luther Martin, Mifflin, Robert Morris, Pierce, and Wilson) suffered serious financial reverses that left them in or near bankruptcy. Two, Blount and Dayton, were involved in possibly treasonous activities. Yet, as they had done before the convention, most of the group continued to render public service, particularly to the new government they had helped to create. [edit] LegacyAccording to Joseph J. Ellis, the concept of the Founding Fathers of the U.S. emerged in the 1820s as the last survivors died out. Ellis says "the founders," or "the fathers," comprised an aggregate of semi-sacred figures whose particular accomplishments and singular achievements were decidedly less important than their sheer presence as a powerful but faceless symbol of past greatness. For the generation of national leaders coming of age in the 1820s and 1830s – men like Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun – "the founders" represented a heroic but anonymous abstraction whose long shadow fell across all followers and whose legendary accomplishments defied comparison. "We can win no laurels in a war for independence," Webster acknowledged in 1825. "Earlier and worthier hands have gathered them all. Nor are there places for us ... [as] the founders of states. Our fathers have filled them. But there remains to us a great duty of defence and preservation." [19] The last remaining founders, also called the " Last of the Romans", [20] lived well into the nineteenth century; for example, Andrew Jackson served in the Revolutionary War, eventually became President, died in 1845, and is now sometimes considered a founding father. [21][edit] List of the Founding Fathers
[edit] Signers of the Declaration of Independence
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[edit] Delegates to the Constitutional Convention[edit] Signers of the Constitution[edit] Delegates who left the Convention without signing[edit] Convention delegates who refused to sign
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[edit] Other foundersThe following people are referred to in the cited reliable sources as having been fathers or founders of the United States.
- Abigail Adams, wife and mother of presidents.[22]
- John Quincy Adams, president and son of president.[3]
- Ethan Allen, military and political leader in Vermont.[23]
- Richard Allen, African-American bishop.[24]
- Egbert Benson, politician from New York.[25]
- Nicholas Biddle, banker.[21]
- Richard Bland, VA delegate to Continental Congress.[26]
- Elias Boudinot, NJ delegate to Continental Congress.[27]
- Aaron Burr, VP under Jefferson.[28]
- George Rogers Clark, army general.[29]
- George Clinton, NY governor and VP of the U.S.[3]
- Tench Coxe, economist in Continental Congress.[21]
- Albert Gallatin, politician and Treasury Secretary.[30]
- Horatio Gates, army general.[29]
- Stephen Girard, banker and philanthropist.[21]
- Nathanael Greene, army general.[29]
- Nathan Hale, captured U.S. soldier executed in 1776.[22]
- Patrick Henry, Virginia governor.[26]
- James Iredell, advocate for Constitution, judge.[3]
- Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary War POW, POTUS.[21]
- John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States.[4]
- John Paul Jones, navy captain.[29]
- Henry Knox, army general.[3]
- Tadeusz Kościuszko, army general.[30]
- Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, army general.[30]
- Henry Lee III, army officer and VA governor.[29]
- Robert R. Livingston, diplomat and jurist.[22]
- William Maclay, PA politician and U.S. Senator.[3]
- Dolley Madison, spouse of President James Madison.[22]
- John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States.[22]
- Philip Mazzei, Italian physician, merchant and author.[31]
- James Monroe, fifth President of the United States[32]
- Daniel Morgan, military hero and VA Congressman.[29]
- James Otis, Jr., MA lawyer and politician.[33]
- Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense.[34]
- Edmund Pendleton, VA politician, lawyer and judge.[35]
- Andrew Pickens, army general and SC congressman.[29]
- Timothy Pickering, U.S. Secretary of State from MA.[36]
- Israel Putnam, army general.[37]
- Comte de Rochambeau, army general.[30]
- Thomas Sumter, SC military hero and congressman.[29]
- Haym Solomon, financier and spy for Continental Army.[38]
- Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Prussian officer.[30]
- Joseph Warren, doctor, revolutionary leader.[37]
- Mercy Otis Warren, political writer.[3]
- Anthony Wayne, army general and politician.[29]
- Noah Webster, writer, lexicographer, educator.[39]
- Thomas Willing, banker.[40]
- Paine Wingate, last survivor, Continental Congress.[41][42]
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