- 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.
Edward Rutledge
Edward Rutledge was born in Charleston, South Carolina, November 23, 1749. He was educated in law at Oxford, England, and admitted to the bar in 1772. Upon returning to America, he gained distinction as an orator and legal advocate.
He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1774, and at the age of twenty-six became its youngest member. He was present at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and affixed his signature to that instrument in 1776.
Rutledge continued in Congress until 1777, and later served in the South Carolina Legislature. During the war, he was captured by the British and held as a prisoner for nearly a year. After his release, he resumed public service and was elected Governor of South Carolina in 1798.
He died January 23, 1800, in the fifty-first year of his age.
Source:
Lossing, Benson J. The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1855. Patriot Echoes Archive
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