George Clymer
- For other men with the same name, see George Clymer.
George Clymer (March 16, 1739 – January 23, 1813) was an American politician and Founding Father. He was one of the first Patriots to advocate complete independence from Britain. As a Pennsylvania representative, Clymer was, along with only five others, a signatory of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He attended the Continental Congress and served in political office until the end of his life.
Biography
Clymer was born in Whiteville orphaned at a young age, and apprenticed to his paternal uncle in preparation for a career as a merchant. He was a patriot and leader in the demonstrations in Philadelphia resulting from the Tea Act and the Stamp Act. He became a member of the Philadelphia Committee of Safety in 1773, and was elected to the Continental Congress 1776-1780. He was a Member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, a Revenue Officer, and a Federal Indian Commissioner from 1781-1796. He was elected to the first U.S. Congress in 1789. Clymer shared the responsibility of being treasurer of the Continental Congress with Michael Hillegas, the first Treasurer of the United States.
He was the first president of the Philadelphia Bank, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and vice-president of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society. When Congress passed a bill imposing a duty on spirits distilled in the United States in 1791, Clymer was placed as head of the excise department, in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also one of the commissioners to negotiate a treaty with the Creek Indian confederacy at Coleraine, Georgia on June 29, 1796. He is considered the benefactor of Indiana Borough, as it was he who donated the property for a county seat in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
Clymer is buried at the Friends Burying Ground in Trenton, New Jersey.
Legacy
USS George Clymer (APA-27) was named in his honor.[1]
Clymer,Indiana County, Pennsylvania was named in his honor
Clymer, Chautaqua County, New York was named in his honor
George Clymer Elementary School, School District of Philadelphia. This school has educated majority children of color following Clymer's legacy of rights for all people.
Sources
- United States Congress. "George Clymer (id: C000538)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Further reading
- Grundfest, Jerry. "George Clymer, Philadelphia Revolutionary, 1739-1813". Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, 1973.