The Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
Introduction
It has often been remarked that in the journey of life, the young rely on energy to counteract the experience of the old. And vice versa. What makes this Constitutional Convention remarkable is that the delegates were both young and experienced. The average age of the delegates was 42 and four of the most influential delegates—Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Gouverneur Morris and James Madison—were in their thirties. Over half of the delegates graduated from College with nine from Princeton and six from British Universities. Even more significant was the continental political experience of the Framers: 8 signed the Declaration of Independence, 25 served in the Continental Congress, 15 helped draft the new State Constitutions between 1776 and 1780, and 40 served in the Confederation Congress between 1783 and 1787.
George H. Nash has recently written a fascinating little book that fits in wonderfully with the purpose of this link concerning getting to know the Framers biographically. It is called Books and the Founding Fathers and was published in 2007 by the McConnell Center, University of Louisville, and Butler Books. ISI distributes the book.
According to Nash, part of the experience that guided the Framers was their experience with books from early on in their lives. So they weren’t only politically experienced from a young age, they were also informed by the books of ancient Greece and Rome as well as modern Britain from a young age.
To summarize Nash’s point: the Framers 1) read, 2) owned, 3) used, 4) created, and 5) donated books without being simply bookish or “denizens of an ivory tower.”
- John Dickinson, the person whose legacy is his August observation at the Constitutional Convention that “we should let experience be our guide” because reason may mislead us, would, at university, “read for nearly eight hours a day, dine at four o’clock, and then retire early in the evening all the while mingling his scrutiny of legal texts with such authors as Tacictus and Bacon.” William Paterson, who introduced the New Jersey Plan in June at the Constitutional Convention, in large part because it was a practical alternative to the Virginia Plan, took his college entrance examinations in Latin and Greek, and entered Princeton “at the age of fourteen. For the next four years he immersed himself in ancient history and literature, as well as such English authors as Shakespeare, Milton, Swift, and Pope.”
- Benjamin Franklin’s personal library “contained 4,276 volumes at the time of his death in 1790.” George Washington’s library at his death in 1798 contained 900 volumes, “a figure all the more remarkable since he was much less a reader than many.”
- Washington, in turn, “used” Joseph Addison’s Cato in drafting his Farewell Address. Jefferson “sent back books by the score” from Paris to Madison that, after three years of intense reading, the latter used to draft the Virginia Plan as a response to the history of failed confederacies.
- The Papers of Madison constitute “29 volumes so far and 23 more in the pipeline.” When the Jefferson Papers are completed “it will comprise 75 hefty volumes.”
- Finally, Franklin, Dickinson, Madison, and Jefferson were each “a faithful patron of libraries.” For example, Dickinson “donated more than 1,500 volumes to Dickinson College.”
We thank George Nash for consenting to the inclusion of the above quotations from his book.
MOVE YOUR MOUSE OVER A DELEGATE TO SEE THAT DELEGATE’S NAME AND STATE.
Delegates Overview
| Name | State | Age | Education | Occupation | Continental Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin, Abraham | Georgia | 33 | Yale, 1772; Tutor or Professor | Public Security Interests | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress |
| Bassett, Richard | Delaware | 42 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments | State Constitution Convention; Annapolis Convention Signer; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress | |
| Bedford, Jr., Gunning | Delaware | 40 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1771 | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention | |
| Blair, John | Virginia | 55 | College of William & Mary; Middle Temple (London), Juris Doctoris | Public Security Interests | State Constitution Convention; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Blount, William | North Carolina | 43 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress | |
| Brearly, David | New Jersey | 42 | College of NJ (Princeton), Honorary M.A. 1781 | Public Security Interests | State Constitution Convention; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Broom, Jacob | Delaware | 35 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Federal Constitution Signer | |
| Butler, Pierce | South Carolina | 43 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Planter | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Carroll, Daniel | Maryland | 57 | College of St. Omer (Netherlands), 1747 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments | Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress |
| Clymer, George | Pennsylvania | 48 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Davie, William R. | North Carolina | 30 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1776 | Lending & Investments; Planter | State Ratification Convention |
| Dayton, Jonathan | New Jersey | 26 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1776 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress |
| Dickinson, John | Delaware | 55 | Middle Temple (London), 1757; College of NJ (Princeton), Honorary LLD | Lending & Investments | Continental Congress; Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; Annapolis Convention Signer; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Ellsworth, Oliver | Connecticut | 42 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1766 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Few, William | Georgia | 39 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress | |
| Fitzsimons, Thomas | Pennsylvania | 46 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Franklin, Benjamin | Pennsylvania | 81 | Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer | |
| Gerry, Elbridge | Massachusetts | 43 | Harvard, 1762 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; New Federal Congress |
| Gilman, Nicholas | New Hampshire | 32 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention | |
| Gorham, Nathaniel | Massachusetts | 49 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention | |
| Hamilton, Alexander | New York | 30 | King's College (Columbia), attended | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation | Confederation Congress; Annapolis Convention Signer; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Houston, William C. | New Jersey | 41 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1768; M.A. 1776; Inner Temple (London), 1776; Tutor or Professor | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Annapolis Convention Signer | |
| Houstoun, William | Georgia | 32 | Confederation Congress | ||
| Ingersoll, Jared | Pennsylvania | 37 | Yale, 1766; Middle Temple (London), Juris Doctoris 1776 | Lending & Investments | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas | Maryland | 64 | Public Security Interests; Planter | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer | |
| Johnson, William Samuel | Connecticut | 59 | Harvard, 1747; Yale, 1744 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| King, Rufus | Massachusetts | 32 | Harvard, 1777 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Langdon, John | New Hampshire | 46 | Dartmouth | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Lansing, Jr., John | New York | 32 | Public Security Interests | Confederation Congress; State Ratification Convention | |
| Livingston, William | New Jersey | 63 | Yale, 1741; Yale, Honorary LLD 1788 | Public Security Interests | Continental Congress; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Madison Jr., James | Virginia | 36 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1771 | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Annapolis Convention Signer; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress | |
| Martin, Alexander | North Carolina | 47 | Planter | Confederation Congress; New Federal Congress | |
| Martin, Luther | Maryland | 39 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1766 | Public Security Interests | Confederation Congress; State Ratification Convention |
| Mason, George | Virginia | 62 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments; Planter | State Constitution Convention; State Ratification Convention | |
| McClurg, James | Virginia | 41 | College of William & Mary, 1762; Edinburgh (Scotland), M.D. 1770; Tutor or Professor | Public Security Interests | |
| McHenry, James | Maryland | 44 | Newark Academy, 1772 | Lending & Investments; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Mercer, John F. | Maryland | 28 | College of William & Mary, 1775 | Public Security Interests; Planter | Confederation Congress; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Mifflin, Thomas | Pennsylvania | 43 | College of Philadelphia (U of PA), 1760 | Public Security Interests; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Morris, Gouverneur | Pennsylvania | 35 | King's College (Columbia), 1768; M.A. 1771 | Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress |
| Morris, Robert | Pennsylvania | 53 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Mercantile, Manufacturing, & Shipping | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Paterson, William | New Jersey | 41 | College of NJ (Princeton), 1763 | State Constitution Convention; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Pierce, William L. | Georgia | 47 | College of William & Mary, attended | Confederation Congress | |
| Pinckney, Charles | South Carolina | 29 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Planter | Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress | |
| Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth | South Carolina | 41 | Oxford (England), 1764 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Planter | Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Randolph, Edmund J. | Virginia | 34 | College of William & Mary, attended | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Planter | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Annapolis Convention Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Read, George | Delaware | 53 | Public Security Interests; Lending & Investments; Planter | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Annapolis Convention Signer; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress | |
| Rutledge, John | South Carolina | 48 | Middle Temple (London), 1760 | Planter | Continental Congress; State Constitution Convention; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Sherman, Roger | Connecticut | 66 | Yale, Honorary MA 1768 | Public Security Interests | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; Articles of Confederation Signer; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Spaight, Richard Dobbs | North Carolina | 29 | Glasgow (Scotland), 1778 | Public Security Interests; Planter | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Strong, Caleb | Massachusetts | 42 | Harvard, 1774 | Public Security Interests | State Constitution Convention; State Ratification Convention; New Federal Congress |
| Washington, George | Virginia | 55 | Harvard, Honorary LLD 1776 | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments; Planter | Continental Congress; Federal Constitution Signer |
| Williamson, Hugh | North Carolina | 52 | College of Philadelphia (U of PA), 1757; M.A. 1760; Tutor or Professor | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation; Lending & Investments | Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; New Federal Congress |
| Wilson, James | Pennsylvania | 45 | College of Philadelphia (U of PA), Honorary M.A. 1766; St. Andrews (Scotland); Tutor or Professor | Public Security Interests; Real Estate & Land Speculation | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; Confederation Congress; Federal Constitution Signer; State Ratification Convention |
| Wythe, George | Virginia | 61 | Tutor or Professor | Public Security Interests; Planter | Declaration of Independence Signer; Continental Congress; State Ratification Convention |
| Yates, Robert | New York | 49 | State Constitution Convention; State Ratification Convention |
