The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 12
In this post: William Hooper, George Wyhte, William Williams
Founding Fathers Series
Step into history like never before.
Starting today and on a daily basis (Mon thru Fri), we will be posting 2 to 3 videos, about 5 minutes worth of videos, presenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the ladies of the American Revolution come alive through vivid, first-person storytelling.
This Series will be tagged on the right column of our blog as Founding Father Series
You may not know some, that does not devalue the contributions they provided in the founding of our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and triumph unfold in gripping moments that shaped America’s founding.
William Hooper
William Hooper, born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 28, 1742, was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and politician. He was the eldest of 5 children born to William Hooper, a Scottish minister, and Mary Dennie. His father, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, emigrated to Boston in 1734. The elder Hooper was initially a Congregationalist minister who later converted to the Anglican faith. He hoped his son would follow him into the ministry. Hooper began his education at the Boston Latin School at age 7 and entered Harvard University at 16, graduating with honors in 1760 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Despite his father’s wishes, William Hooper chose to pursue a career in law, studying under James Otis.
After completing his legal studies, William Hooper relocated to North Carolina in 1764, partly due to disagreements with his father over politics and to distance himself from the numerous competing attorneys in Boston. In North Carolina, he achieved success as an attorney and was elected as the local recorder within two years. Hooper became a prominent figure in the American Revolution, representing North Carolina in the Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence. He continued to serve in the Second Continental Congress until 1777. Later, Hooper pursued a Federalist political ideology and served as a federal judge until shortly before his death on October 14, 1790, at the age of 48.
George Wyhte
George Wythe was an American academic, scholar, and judge, recognized as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Born in 1726 at Chesterville plantation in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, he was the son of Thomas and Margaret Walker Wythe. His mother, a scholar, educated him in Latin, Greek, rhetoric, grammar, and mathematics. After his father’s death, he likely attended grammar school before studying law in his uncle-in-law Stephen Dewey’s office. Wythe was admitted to the Virginia bar at age 20 and later inherited the family estate after his brother Thomas died. He was deeply interested in politics, history, and science, aligning with the Enlightenment principles of reason and individualism.
Wythe held numerous significant positions, serving as a member of the House of Burgesses, Attorney General of Virginia, and Mayor of Williamsburg. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, where he was one of the 7 signatories of the Declaration of Independence from Virginia. Wythe was also instrumental in the American Revolution, leading efforts in Virginia and helping establish its state government and seal. He was appointed to revise Virginia’s laws alongside Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Pendleton, and George Mason. From 1780 to 1789, he taught law at the College of William and Mary, becoming the first law professor at any American university, a chair established in 1779. His notable students included Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and Henry Clay. Wythe also served briefly in the U.S. Constitutional Convention and was crucial in appealing for its ratification in Virginia.
Wythe became increasingly concerned with slavery and emancipated all enslaved people he owned at the end of the American Revolution. He was known for his gentle manner and outdated Quaker dress in his later years. Wythe died in Richmond on June 8, 1806, from poisoning. His grand-nephew, George Sweeny (also known as George Wythe Sweeney Jr.), was tried and acquitted for his murder. The only witness who could have testified, an African American, was legally disqualified from doing so.
William Williams
William Williams (April 8, 1731 – August 2, 1811) was an American Founding Father, a merchant, and a delegate for Connecticut to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was also a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence. Williams was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, to Reverend Solomon Williams and Mary Porter Williams. Both his father and grandfather were ministers who attended Harvard College, and his father served as the pastor of the Congregationalist church in Lebanon for approximately fifty years. William Williams himself enrolled at Harvard College at age 16, graduating at 20 with distinction, and subsequently commenced theological studies with his father. Although he initially intended to follow his father into the ministry, he ultimately pursued a career as a merchant and entered politics.
Williams was an active participant in the protests leading up to the American Revolution. He joined the Connecticut Militia and fought in the French and Indian War in 1754, an experience that led him to develop a critical view of British officers. In July 1774, he anonymously published an angry satire titled “To the King” in the Connecticut Gazette, addressing the Coercive Acts imposed on Boston. His strong support for the American cause led to his appointment as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress on July 11, 1776, after Connecticut had already learned that independence had been declared. While he did not vote for independence, he did sign the Declaration. Williams was appointed to the committee to frame the Articles of Confederation and served on the Board of War in 1777. After the war, he attended the Hartford convention where Connecticut ratified the Federal Constitution and spent his later years as a County Court judge. He married Mary Trumbull, daughter of Connecticut Royal Governor Jonathan Trumbull, on February 14, 1771, and they had three children: Solomon, Faith, and William Trumbull.