Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution, adopted in 1787, is the supreme law of the United States of America. Georgia, one of the original 13 states, elected six delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Of these, only four attended, and only two signed the final document: Abraham Baldwin and William Few. Both men had moved to Georgia in the mid-1770s and had military backgrounds. Baldwin, a wise and educated leader, played a pivotal role in the convention, helping to create the compromise that led to the method of representation in the proposed Congress. Few, meanwhile, lobbied his fellow congressmen to vote in favour of the new Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Signers from Georgia | 2 |
| Names of Signers | Abraham Baldwin, William Few |
| States Represented | Connecticut, Maryland |
| Occupations | Lawyer, Chaplain, Politician, Educator |
| Notable Contributions | Founding Father, Great Compromise, University of Georgia |
| Signatures | Rare, Valuable |
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What You'll Learn
Abraham Baldwin's role in the Constitutional Convention
Abraham Baldwin was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, along with William Few, William Houston, and William Leigh Pierce. He played a pivotal role in the convention, helping to create a compromise that led to the method of representation in the proposed Congress, preventing the Convention from ending prematurely.
Baldwin served in the Grand Committee led by Benjamin Franklin that made the Constitution possible. He also served on the special convention committee that crafted the "Great Compromise", which led to the current configuration of the U.S. Congress: equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. This compromise was approved on July 16, 1787.
Baldwin is also credited with casting the crucial tie vote that saved the convention when it was in danger of dissolving. As a theologian and Christian preacher, he understood the need to calm things down in a room where people were often in loud disagreement.
Baldwin also played a significant role in establishing the public education system in Georgia and founding the University of Georgia. He wrote the charter for the university, which was approved on January 27, 1785, and served as its first president. He was a Founding Father of the United States and signed the U.S. Constitution.
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William Few's political career
William Few Jr. was a Founding Father of the United States, a lawyer, politician, and jurist. Born on June 8, 1748, into a poor yeoman farming family in Maryland, Few later moved to Georgia in the mid-1770s, abandoning his drought-stricken tobacco farm and fleeing political trouble in North Carolina. During the Revolutionary War, Few joined the Richmond County regiment and served as a lieutenant colonel. His military success and leadership skills opened the door to his political career.
In the late 1770s, Few joined the House of Representatives and was appointed as the representative of Georgia in the Continental Congress in 1780 for six months. In 1786, he was elected to represent Georgia at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he lobbied his fellow congressmen to vote in favor of the new U.S. Constitution. Few was one of the two delegates from Georgia who signed the final document, along with Abraham Baldwin. After signing the Constitution, Few continued to hold office in the newly formed legislature, serving as one of Georgia's first senators, along with James Gunn.
When his congressional term ended in 1793, Few returned to Georgia and served as a federal judge for the Georgia circuit. He was also an advocate for education and a founding trustee of the University of Georgia in 1785. In 1799, Few left Georgia and moved to Manhattan with his wife, where he embarked on a career in public service, banking, and the practice of law. He served as the United States Commissioner of Loans in 1804 and as inspector of prisons from 1802 to 1810. Few also held a directorship at the Manhattan Bank and later became president of the City Bank of New York, the predecessor of present-day Citigroup. He served in this position until 1817. Few was elected to represent his constituents in the New York State Assembly from 1802 to 1805 and later as a city alderman from 1813 to 1814. He retired in 1815 to his country home in Fishkill, New York, where he passed away on July 16, 1828, at the age of 80.
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Button Gwinnett's signature
Gwinnett's business activities took him from Newfoundland to Jamaica, but he never achieved much success. He moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1765, and opened a store, which also failed. He then bought St. Catherine's Island, as well as a large number of slaves, in an attempt to become a planter. However, his planting activities were also unsuccessful.
Gwinnett then shifted his focus to politics and played a notable role in organizing and rallying backcountry and coastal Whigs in revolutionary efforts. He was elected to the Provincial Assembly and became an advocate for colonial rights in 1775 when St. John's Parish, which encompassed his lands, threatened to secede from Georgia due to the colony's conservative response to the events of the time. He was appointed to represent Georgia at the Continental Congress and voted in favor of the Declaration of Independence.
After signing the Declaration of Independence, Gwinnett returned to Georgia, where he held high-ranking military positions and briefly served as governor from March to May 1777. He was one of the first leaders of the American Revolution and played a crucial role in supporting and ratifying the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. He also served in Georgia's colonial legislature and as president of Georgia's Revolutionary Council of Safety, essentially becoming the second provisional governor of Georgia.
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George Walton's military career
George Walton, one of the three signers of the Constitution from Georgia, had a notable military career that began even before he signed the Declaration of Independence. Born in Virginia in 1749, Walton received little formal education and was largely self-taught. He moved to Savannah, Georgia, as a young man and quickly became involved in the revolutionary cause.
Walton's military career began in 1776 when he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Continental Army. He was quickly promoted to captain and served as an aide-de-camp to General Charles Lee. In this role, Walton saw action in the New York campaign and was taken prisoner by the British after the Battle of Long Island. He was exchanged for a British officer in 1777 and immediately returned to active duty.
That same year, Walton was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as the commander of the 1st Georgia Regiment. He led his troops in several engagements against the British in Florida and Georgia, including the successful defense of Savannah in 1779. Walton's leadership and bravery during these campaigns earned him a promotion to colonel and the command of the 2nd Georgia Regiment.
In 1780, Walton was captured again by the British during the siege of Charleston, South Carolina. He managed to escape and made a daring journey through enemy-controlled territory to reach the American lines. Walton's bravery and resilience during this period earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow soldiers and compatriots.
After his escape, Walton returned to active duty and was involved in the final campaigns of the Revolutionary War. He was present at the siege of Yorktown and witnessed the surrender of the British army under General Cornwallis. Walton's military career concluded with the end of the war in 1783, and he returned to Georgia to continue his public service as a civilian leader.
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Lyman Hall's political career
Lyman Hall was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Georgia representative to the Second Continental Congress. He was one of three Georgians to sign the Declaration of Independence, along with Button Gwinnett and George Walton.
Hall was born on April 12, 1724, in Wallingford, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University in 1747 and became an ordained Congregational minister. By 1753, he had abandoned the ministry to pursue a career in medicine. In 1757, he moved to South Carolina and was granted land in Georgia near the Midway Meeting House in St. John's Parish in 1760. He established a successful plantation and a medical practice in Sunbury, Georgia.
Hall first entered politics in 1775, serving as a member of the Second Continental Congress until 1780. After signing the Declaration of Independence, he became an enemy of the British, and British troops burned his house and plantation in Sunbury in 1778. He fled the state and returned in 1782, winning election to the governorship, a position he held from 1783 to 1784. During his tenure, steps were initiated that later established the state's educational system. After completing his term, he served in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1783 and 1784 and as Justice of the Inferior Court of Chatham County from December 1789 until he resigned in September 1790 due to poor health.
In 1790, Hall sold his plantation and moved to Burke County, Georgia, with the intention of retiring. However, he passed away on October 19 of that same year. His legacy lives on in Georgia's Hall County, which is named after him.
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Frequently asked questions
Abraham Baldwin and William Few Jr. were the only two of Georgia's delegates to sign the US Constitution.
Abraham Baldwin was a recognised leader in Georgia, having moved to the state around three years prior to the Constitutional Convention. He was educated, intelligent, and kind, and had a theology degree from Yale. William Few Jr. arrived in Georgia in the mid-1770s after abandoning a tobacco farm in Maryland and fleeing political trouble in North Carolina. During the Revolutionary War, Few joined the Richmond County regiment and served as a lieutenant colonel.
Abraham Baldwin played a pivotal role in the Constitutional Convention. He helped arrange a compromise on the method of representation in the proposed Congress, which threatened to end the Convention. Baldwin also served in the Grand Committee led by Benjamin Franklin, which made the Constitution possible. William Few lobbied his fellow congressmen to vote in favour of the new US Constitution.
Abraham Baldwin founded the University of Georgia and served in Congress. William Few continued to hold office in the newly formed legislature, serving as one of Georgia's first senators. He was also an advocate for education and a founding trustee of the University of Georgia.
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