Thomas Mifflin
Thomas Mifflin served the Continental Army, the Confederation Congress, and Pennsylvania's governorship, carrying wartime administration into the politics of ratification and early state government.
Born January 10, 1744 / Died January 20, 1800
On January 10, 1744, in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, Thomas Mifflin was born into a prosperous Quaker merchant family. He attended the College of Philadelphia and entered trade before political crisis pushed him toward public service. The break with Quaker pacifism came when he embraced the Revolutionary cause and military administration.
Mifflin served in the Continental Congress, became quartermaster general of the Continental Army in 1775, and later held field commands under George Washington. He also served as president of the Confederation Congress and as a delegate to the Pennsylvania ratifying convention. As governor of Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1799, he oversaw one of the largest states in the new republic.
Mifflin linked wartime administration to civilian government, showing how Revolutionary logistics fed into the institutions of peace. His role in Pennsylvania after 1790 also helped stabilize a key state in the first decade under the Constitution.
Key Contributions
- Thomas Mifflin was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution.
- On September 17, 1787, Thomas Mifflin signed the United States Constitution in Philadelphia after representing Pennsylvania in the federal convention.
- Thomas Mifflin's public record is closely tied to Constitutional Convention convenes, a named event that defined the period in which Thomas Mifflin served.
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.
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