Overview
John Penn was a North Carolina lawyer and politician who overcame a limited education to become a key leader in the Patriot Cause. After relocating from Virginia in 1774, he served in the Provincial Congress and soon joined the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. He helped secure military supplies and manage North Carolina’s finances during the war. Penn later served on the North Carolina Board of War before returning to his legal work.
Personal Facts
- Born: May 17, 1741, near Port Royal, in Caroline County, Virginia.
- Parents: Moses Penn (father) and Catherine Taylor (mother).
- Spouse: Susannah Lyme (1763).
- Died: September 14, 1788, near Stovall, North Carolina. He was 47.
- Buried: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
- Part of: Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Significance
John Penn is important to American History because he signed the Declaration of Independence, making him one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Biography
Early Life
John Penn was born on May 17, 1741, in Caroline County, Virginia. His father, Moses Penn, was successful but did not provide John with more than a basic education, leaving him to learn in a small country school.
After his father’s death, he moved in with his uncle Edmund Pendleton, who provided him with access to a large library. Penn studied there, learned the law, and earned his license to practice the law in 1762.
- Penn married Susannah Lyme on July 28, 1763.
- He practiced law in Carolina County for 12 years.
- Some accounts place his birth date on May 6, 1740.
AHC Notes
- Edmund Pendleton (1721–1803) — Pendleton was a politician, lawyer, judge, and plantation owner who played a prominent role in Virginia during the American Revolution. He was the first Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and a delegate to the First Continental Congress, where he signed the Articles of Association. Pendleton also led the Virginia conventions that approved independence and adopted the U.S. Constitution.
Move to North Carolina
In 1774, Penn relocated to the area around Williamsburg in Granville County, North Carolina, where his wife was from, and many of her relatives lived.
- Penn bought a farm near Stovall, in Granville County.
- Known for his friendly demeanor and strong speaking skills, he became a local leader.
Support for the Patriot Cause
In 1775, voters sent him to the North Carolina Provincial Congress, where he served on numerous committees and earned a reputation for his efforts. Within a month, he was elected to the Second Continental Congress, replacing Richard Caswell, who resigned to take a position with the North Carolina government.
Penn hoped for reconciliation with Britain, but came to realize it was not possible. He said, “My first wish is that America may be free; the second that she may be restored to Great Britain in peace and harmony and upon just terms.”
The other North Carolina delegates, William Hooper and Joseph Hewes, eventually agreed with Penn that independence was America’s best path forward.
Penn’s service in Congress came at great personal cost. While others stepped down, he remained, urging his friend Thomas Person, “For God’s sake, my good sir, encourage our people, and inspire them to dare even to die for their country.”
AHC Notes
- William Hooper (1742–1790) — Hooper was a North Carolina politician who rose to prominence during the American Revolution. He represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress, where he signed the Articles of Association, supported independence, and signed the Declaration of Independence, making him a Founding Father.
- Joseph Hewes (1730–1779) — Hewes was a North Carolina merchant and political leader who became a key figure in the Patriot Cause. He served in the colonial assembly, all five Provincial Congresses, and the Continental Congress, where he supported non-importation, helped draft major policy documents, and became the leading force in creating the early United States Navy. His shift toward supporting independence reflected growing public sentiment, and his intense workload during the war led to his death in Philadelphia in 1779.
- Thomas Person (1733–1800) — Person was a North Carolina politician and soldier who supported the Patriot Cause. He sided with the Regulators in the Regulator War (1766–1771) and was briefly imprisoned after the Battle of Alamance (May 16, 1771). In May 1776, he received a commission as a Brigadier General in the Hillsborough District Brigade of the North Carolina Militia. Following the war, Person aligned with the Anti-Federalists and opposed the U.S. Constitution. He served on the first Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Support for Independence
The Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress met at Halifax in April 1776. During this session, Penn supported giving the North Carolina delegates the power to vote for independence. Afterward, he returned to Philadelphia, where he voted in favor of independence and signed the Declaration of Independence
- On April 12, the Provincial Congress passed the Halifax Resolves, which made North Carolina the first colony to urge the Continental Congress to declare independence.
- The Resolves stated: “Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be empowered to concur with the other delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign alliances, resolving to this Colony the sole, and exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony and appointing delegates from time to time (under the direction of a general Representation thereof) to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed out.”
- Penn was not in attendance when the Provincial Congress approved the Halifax Resolves. He arrived at the proceedings on April 15, along with William Hooper.
Second Continental Congress
Penn served in Congress through 1777, was reelected in 1778, and served until 1780. During his time there, he developed a reputation as a hard worker who was also distracted by the city’s nightlife.
- Penn declined an appointment as a North Carolina judge in 1777.
- He signed the Articles of Confederation on July 16, 1778.
- In December 1778, Thomas Burke wrote a letter to North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell, suggesting Penn should represent the state in the “…scene of gaiety and Dissipation, public Assemblies every fortnight and private Balls every night.”
- Penn attended more than 1,000 days of congressional meetings, more than any other North Carolina delegate.
While in Philadelphia, North Carolina’s delegates handled far more than lawmaking. They purchased military supplies, arranged transportation, managed financial matters, and served as the colony’s representatives.
AHC Notes
- Thomas Burke (c. 1744-1783) — Burke was a North Carolina politician, doctor, and lawyer who supported the Patriot Cause, serving in the North Carolina Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress. In 1781, he was elected to be the third Governor of North Carolina. Soon after, he was captured by British forces and taken to Charleston. He escaped, returned to North Carolina, and resumed his duties. Known for being difficult to work with, he resigned in 1782 after serving only 10 months. He retired to his plantation, “Tyaquin,” and died in 1783.
- Richard Caswell (1729–1789) — Caswell was a prominent North Carolina Patriot who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, presided over the 1776 North Carolina Provincial Congress that drafted the state constitution, and became the first Governor of North Carolina.
Dispute with Henry Laurens
In 1779, he became involved in a dispute with Henry Laurens, the President of Congress. Although the nature of the issue is unclear, Laurens challenged Penn to a duel.
- At the time, both of them were lodging in the same house in Philadelphia.
- On the morning of the duel, they ate breakfast together.
- Afterward, they walked together to the site, and Penn helped the elderly Laurens cross a street.
- Penn proceeded to suggest calling off the duel, and Laurens agreed.
Despite this, Laurens continued to dislike Penn. According to Charles Thomson, Secretary of Congress, Laurens later mocked Penn by answering him in a debate, singing, “Poor little Penny, Poor little Penny.”
AHC Notes
- Henry Laurens (1724–1792) — Laurens was a South Carolina merchant, planter, and politician who served as President of the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1778 and later as envoy to the Netherlands in 1780. Captured by the British and imprisoned in the Tower of London, Laurens was later exchanged for General Charles Cornwallis after the surrender at Yorktown. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris but declined to attend the Philadelphia Convention (1787).
North Carolina Board of War
In 1780, Penn became a member of the North Carolina Board of War. Accounts indicate that he performed most of the Board’s work; however, he was unpopular with the army and also faced opposition from government officials.
- Governor Abner Nash asked the North Carolina Assembly to establish the Board of War after British forces won the Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780) and threatened to invade the state.
- Penn was joined on the Board by Colonel Alexander Martin and Orrondates Davis.
- The Board met for the first time in September 1780, in Hillsborough. Afterward, Martin and Davis were rarely involved.
- Penn helped supply the North Carolina Militia units serving under General Nathanael Greene in the Southern Army.
- The Board was dissolved by the Assembly after four months, in January 1781.
AHC Notes
- Abner Nash (1740–1786) — Nash was a politician and lawyer from North Carolina who was elected as the second Governor of North Carolina in 1780. Originally from Virginia, where he served in the House of Burgesses, he moved to North Carolina and became involved in the Patriot Cause. While Governor, Nash clashed with the North Carolina Assembly. He resigned in December 1780 and was replaced by Thomas Burke. Afterward, he was elected as a delegate to the Confederation Congress, where he served until his death in 1786.
- Alexander Martin (c. 1739-1807) — Martin was born in Connecticut and educated at the College of New Jersey. He moved to North Carolina in 1760, where he worked as a merchant and lawyer. Martin supported the Royal Government during the Regulator War, but joined the Patriot Cause as tensions with Great Britain increased. He participated in the North Carolina Provincial Congress and served in the North Carolina Senate. Martin was a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention (1787), but did not strongly support the Constitution. He served several terms as Governor of North Carolina.
- Oroondates Davis (c. 1750–1781) — Davis was a North Carolina lawyer and politician. Davis supported the Patriot Cause and was a member of the Halifax County Committee of Safety. He served in the North Carolina Assembly and was appointed to the North Carolina Board of War. Davis clashed with Governor Abner Nash, which contributed to the dissolution of the Board of War.
Later Years
In July 1781, Penn was elected to the Governor’s Council and served as its President through the end of the American Revolutionary War. He lost his bid for reelection in 1783.
- In 1783, Robert Morris appointed him the receiver of taxes in North Carolina for the Confederation, but he held the position for less than a month before resigning.
- He returned to practicing law, and little else is known about his later years.
- Penn died on September 14, 1788, and was buried at his estate near Island Creek in Granville County, North Carolina.
- In 1894, his remains were reinterred at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
AHC Notes
- Robert Morris (1734–1806) — Morris was a Philadelphia merchant and Founding Father, who is often referred to as the “Financier of the Revolution.” Morris signed the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
