Lesser-known Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Philip Livingston of New York. Two different looks at his life.

Philip Livingston, born on January 15, 1716, in Albany, New York, hailed from the wealthy and influential Livingston family. Philip spent his youth in opulent manor houses and townhomes before attending Yale College in the 1730s. After graduating, Philip settled in New York City and soon became one of the town’s most successful merchants. By …

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Lesser-Known Signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Clymer of Pennsylvania

George Clymer was an orphan who made good. Very good. George Clymer, a grandson of an original settler of the Penn colony, became an orphan at the age of one. He went to live with a wealthy uncle in Philadelphia, where he received an informal education and he grew up working in his uncle’s mercantile …

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Less-known Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Joseph Hewes of North Carolina, by way of New Jersey and Pennsylvania

For this installment in my 250th-anniversary series, I chose a signer whom I had never heard of. This gentleman had a circuitous life in the Colonies-born in one state and resident of two others. He earned wealth as a merchant, and served his country in the Continental Congress. It's a shame that he didn't live …

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