George Clymer
George Clymer moved from Philadelphia mercantile politics into the Continental Congress in 1776 and later joined the Constitutional Convention, linking independence to the new federal frame of government.
Born March 16, 1739 / Died January 23, 1813
On March 16, 1739, in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, George Clymer was born and later apprenticed within the city's commercial world. Orphaned young, he was raised in a household tied to trade and public responsibility, which prepared him for mercantile and political life. By the early 1770s he had joined Philadelphia committees resisting British taxation and supporting colonial union.
Clymer served in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as Pennsylvania moved firmly into the Patriot coalition. In 1787 he sat in the Constitutional Convention, making him one of the few men to sign both the Declaration and the Constitution. He later held federal revenue posts under the new government, showing how Revolutionary leaders moved into the practical administration created by the Constitution.
Clymer's career bridged the break with Britain and the construction of the federal system that followed the Articles of Confederation. His place in the Constitutional Convention and early treasury administration tied his legacy to the working institutions of the national state.
Key Contributions
- He attended the Continental Congress and served in political office until the end of his life.
- He was a Framer of the Constitution where he attempted unsuccessfully to regulate the importation of slaves.
- On July 4, 1776, George Clymer signed the Declaration of Independence as part of the political leadership tied to Pennsylvania.
Related Events
Constitutional Convention convenes
From May to September 1787, delegates in Philadelphia abandoned revision of the Articles of Confederation and drafted a new Constitution under George Washington's presidency.
United States Constitution signed
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution in Philadelphia and sent the proposed frame of government to the states for ratification.
Declaration of Independence adopted
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and ordered the document printed as the public case for separation.
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