JAMES
SMITH was born in Northern Ireland in 1719, however the exact
date of his birth is uncertain, as he never told it.When
James was ten, his father brought his family to Pennsylvania in 1729 and engaged
in farming on the Susquehanna River.James
received his early education from a Presbyterian tutor who taught him Latin,
Greek, and surveying.Later he was
educated at the College of Philadelphia, studied law with his brother in
Lancaster and was admitted to the bar when he was twenty-six years old.
James
settled first in Shippensburg as a lawyer and surveyor, and afterward in York,
where for many years he was the sole practitioner at the bar.During
this period of his life he gained a reputation as a bit of an
"eccentric" and a man who was very fond of the bottle."He
loved wine, and drank much of it," a neighbor said.He
was quite the humorist and an excellent storyteller.He
had "an uncouthness of gesture, a certain ludicrous case of countenance,
and a drawling mode of utterance, which taken in conjunction with his eccentric
ideas, produced an effect irresistibly comical."
Smith
prospered as a lawyer, and then at the age of forty, married a girl from New
Castle, Delaware, Eleanor Armor, who was twenty years his junior.He
also engaged in extensive iron manufacturing on Codorus creek, and at the
beginning of the Revolution possessed considerable property.
Smith
for a long time did not display even a remote interest in politics, preferring
to help raise his five children and develop his flourishing law practice.However,
when Parliament closed the port of Boston for dumping tea in the harbor, Smith
actively opposed the British by raising he first volunteer company in the state
for the purpose of resisting Great Britain, and was a member of the convention
to consider the expediency of abstaining from importing any goods from England.He
was later elected as the battalion's colonel.
In
July 1776, while representing York County at the Pennsylvania constitutional
convention, he was selected to attend the Second continental congress.He
did attend as a recognized supporter of independence and signed the Declaration.He
remained in congress until February 1777, and again from December 1777 through
1778.He was not conspicuous, but
his speeches were frequently enlivened by humor.
James
Smith held several state posts after leaving congress, and he was re-elected to
that body in 1785, but refused the office because of his advanced age.While
he did continue to practice law for a few more years, he completely discontinued
his political activities.
James Smith died in York on July 11, 1806, at the age of eighty-seven.
We invite you to read a transcription
of the complete text of the Declaration as presented by the National Archives.
&
The article "The
Declaration of Independence: A History,"
which provides a detailed account of the Declaration, from its drafting through
its preservation today at the National Archives.
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