John Penn (North Carolina politician)

John Penn (May 17, 1741 – September 14, 1788) was a signer of both the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a delegate of North Carolina.

John Penn
Born(1741-05-17)May 17, 1741
Caroline County, Virginia, US
DiedSeptember 14, 1788(1788-09-14) (aged 47)
Stovall, North Carolina Area, Granville County, North Carolina, US
Resting placeGuilford Courthouse National Military Park
Occupationlawyer
Known forsigner of the United States Declaration of Independence
Signature

Life

Penn was born near Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia, an only child of Moses Penn and Catherine [Taylor] Penn. He attended at common school for two years as his father did not consider education to be important.[1] At age 18, after his father's death, Penn privately read law with his uncle, Edmund Pendleton. He became a lawyer in Virginia in 1762. In 1774, Penn moved to the Stovall, North Carolina area, where he practiced law until his death in 1788.

Relations

On July 28, 1763, Penn married Susannah Lyne. The couple had three children.[2] Their daughter, Lucy, married John Taylor of Caroline, a political leader from Virginia.

Political career

Penn was elected to the 3rd and 4th North Carolina Provincial Congresses from Granville County and elected by that body to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, serving until 1780. For the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was part of the North Carolina delegation that included Joseph Hewes and William Hooper. In 1777, Penn was one of the state's signers of the Articles of Confederation. Penn also served on the Board of War until 1780, when he retired to once again practice law. He served as receiver of taxes for North Carolina in 1784. When Penn died in 1788, he was buried on his estate near Stovall, in Granville County. Penn was re-interred in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in 1894, alongside fellow congressional delegate, Hooper.[3][4] The remains of his home site in the Stovall area, with his original grave and a nearby slave cemetery, are maintained by the local DAR chapter.[5]

Legacy

The naval ship USS John Penn was named in his honor.[6]

A historical highway marker honoring Penn was erected in Stovall, North Carolina and was the first one erected by the State of North Carolina (January 10, 1936)[7]

References
  1. Goodrich, Rev. Charles A.Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence. New York: William Reed & Co., 1856. pp. 433–35
  2. DSDI 1776
  3. North Carolina Highway Historical Markers Program
  4. Declaration Resources Project
  5. Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Sunday, August 9, 1998, page B5.
  6. USS John Penn (AP-51/APA-23), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division, Washington
  7. North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program
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