- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
Richard Stockton
STOCKTON, Richard, signer of the Declaration of Independence, born near Princeton, N.J., 1 October, 1730; died there, 28 February, 1781.
He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) in 1748 and became a prominent lawyer. Stockton was appointed to the royal council of New Jersey and later elected to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence.
Captured by the British in 1776, he was imprisoned and harshly treated before being released on parole. His health never fully recovered, and he withdrew from public life.
Despite controversy over his parole, Stockton is remembered for his early commitment to American independence and his contributions to New Jersey’s legal and educational institutions.
Source:
Wilson, James Grant, and John Fiske, eds. Appleton’s Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1887. Patriot Echoes Archive
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