The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 5
In this post: Richard Stockton, Samuel Chase, Frances Lewis
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.
Richard Stockton
Richard Stockton was an American Founding Father, lawyer, jurist, and legislator, born on October 1, 1730, in Princeton, New Jersey, to John and Hannah Stockton. His family was among the area’s earliest settlers; his grandfather acquired a large tract of land from William Penn that encompassed the present-day borough of Princeton. He graduated in 1748 from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), which his father helped establish, and was a member of its first graduating class as well as its first alumnus elected as a trustee.
Stockton pursued a career in law, studying with David Ogden in Newark and becoming an eminent lawyer with one of the largest practices in the colonies. In 1763, he received the degree of sergeant-at-law, the highest law degree at the time. His legal and political career included serving on the executive council of New Jersey from 1768 to 1776, and being appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1774. He was also a longtime friend of George Washington and was married to poet Annis Boudinot Stockton.
Richard Stockton was the first person from New Jersey to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776 with instructions to vote for independence, replacing two of the five New Jersey delegates. His estate, Morven, in Princeton, was occupied by General Charles Cornwallis during Stockton’s imprisonment by the British, leading to the destruction or seizure of his library, furniture, household belongings, crops, and livestock
Perspectives
Renunciation of the American Revolution
Richard Stockton was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to renounce his signature and swear allegiance to King George III.
Loyalty to the Patriot Cause
While not considered a great Whig hero, Richard Stockton was not a traitor to the Patriot cause, according to research from authors Todd Braisted and J. L. Bell.
Stockton was appointed to committees supporting the war effort and dispatched on a fact-finding tour.
The Continental Congress passed a resolution directing General George Washington to inquire into Stockton’s treatment in New York prisons, leading to his parole.
Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase was a Founding Father of the United States, born on April 17, 1741, in Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland. He was the only child of Reverend Thomas Chase and Matilda Walker Chase. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, an Anglican minister, raised him. Chase was educated privately and later studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1761, after which he began practicing in Annapolis, Maryland. He served in the Maryland General Assembly from 1764 to 1784. Chase was a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1778. He was a signer of the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. In 1776, he was sent on a mission to Canada to encourage them to join the revolution against Great Britain. He was married twice: first to Anne Baldwin in May 1762, with whom he had three sons and four daughters, and after Anne’s death in 1776, he married Hannah Kilty in 1784.
Chase became an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, joining on February 4, 1796, after being nominated by President George Washington. Before his Supreme Court appointment, he served as a judge in the Maryland court system from 1788 to 1796. A staunch Federalist, Chase was known for his open partisanship, both on and off the bench. He campaigned for John Adams in the 1800 election and publicly criticized the Republicans for repealing the 1801 judiciary statute. This partisan behavior led to impeachment proceedings against him, orchestrated by Representative John Randolph of Virginia, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Chase on March 12, 1804, on accusations including refusing to dismiss biased jurors and limiting defense witnesses in politically sensitive cases. The impeachment trial in the Senate began on February 4, 1805, marking the first time a Supreme Court Justice faced impeachment.
During his twenty-two-day trial, Chase argued that he could not be impeached for expressing his political opinions. His defense team convinced senators that his conduct did not warrant removal from office, and the Senate acquitted him on all counts on March 1, 1805. Chase continued to serve on the Supreme Court until his death from a heart attack on June 19, 1811. His acquittal is considered by some historians to have set an important precedent for the independence of the federal judiciary, as all subsequent impeachments of federal judges have been based on legal or ethical misconduct rather than judicial performance.
Francis Lewis
Francis Lewis was an American merchant and a Founding Father of the United States, born in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, on March 21, 1713. Orphaned around age five, he was raised by his aunt and educated at Westminster School in London before becoming a merchant. He married Elizabeth Annesley in 1745. Lewis traveled globally for his mercantile business and later moved to New York, working as a British mercantile agent.
Lewis was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, representing New York in the Continental Congress. He was a member of various committees, including the Committee of Fifty, Committee of Fifty-One, Committee of Sixty, Committee of One Hundred, and the New York Provincial Congress. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779 and later as chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty. His home in Queens, New York, was destroyed, and his wife was taken captive by the British during the Revolutionary War, enduring harsh conditions before her release. Lewis retired from politics in 1781 and died on December 31, 1802.
Francis Lewis’s legacy is preserved through a memorial in Trinity Church cemetery, a major thoroughfare called Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens, and two schools named in his honor. Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, New York, is a large public high school known for its diverse student population and comprehensive academic programs, including the nation’s largest Junior ROTC chapter and various Advanced Placement courses