Read, George, 1733-1798

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George Read (September 18, 1733 – September 21, 1798) was a politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a Founding Father of the United States who signed the Declaration of Independence, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of Delaware, and a member of the Federalist Party, who served as U.S. Senator from Delaware and Chief Justice of Delaware. Read was one of only two statesmen who signed four of the great State papers on which the country's history is based: the original Petition to the King of the Congress of 1774, the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States.

Born in Cecil County, Maryland, his family moved to New Castle County, Delaware when he was an infant. As he grew up, George Read joined Thomas McKean at the Rev. Francis Allison's Academy at New London, Pennsylvania and then studied law in Philadelphia. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1753 and a year later he returned home to establish a practice at New Castle, Delaware. In 1763 John Penn, the Proprietary Governor, appointed George Read Crown Attorney General for the three Delaware counties and he served in that position until leaving for the Continental Congress in 1774. He also served in the Colonial Assembly of the Lower Counties for twelve sessions, from 1764/65 through 1775/76. Read was elected to serve along with the more radical McKean and Caesar Rodney in the First and Second Continental Congress from 1774 to 1777. He was frequently absent, and when the Congress voted on American Independence on July 2, 1776, Read surprised many by voting against it. However, when the Declaration of Independence was finally adopted, Read signed it despite his natural caution.

Read was then elected to the first Legislative Council of the Delaware General Assembly and was selected as the Speaker in both the 1776/77 and 1777/78 sessions. At the time of the capture of President John McKinly, Read was in Philadelphia attending Congress; after narrowly escaping capture himself while he was returning home, he became President on October 20, 1777, serving until March 31, 1778. After Rodney was elected to replace him as President, Read continued to serve in the Legislative Council until the 1778–79 session. After a one-year rest nursing ill health, he was elected to the House of Assembly for the 1780/81 and 1781/82 sessions. He returned to the Legislative Council in the 1782/83 session and served two terms until the 1787/88 session. On December 5, 1782, he was elected Judge of the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture. Read was again called to national service in 1786 when he represented Delaware at the Annapolis Convention. At what became the Constitutional Convention, Read again represented Delaware, signing the US Constitution.

Following the adoption of the Constitution, the Delaware General Assembly elected Read as one of its two US Senators. His term began on March 4, 1789, and he was reelected in 1791 but resigned on September 18, 1793. Read served with the Pro-Administration Party majority in the 1st and 2nd Congress, under President Washington. He resigned to accept an appointment as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court and served in that capacity until his death. Read died at New Castle on September 21, 1798, due to heart problems, and is buried there in the Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Signers collection, 1770-1826. Johns Hopkins University, Sheridan Libraries and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library
referencedIn Bedford, Gunning, 1742-1797. Gunning Bedford papers, 1794-1797. Historical Society of Delaware
creatorOf Delaware. General Assembly. Draft, 1777 May 12, New Castle, Del., on the General Loan-Office for the County of Kent. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. ALS, 1779 March 23 : Newcastle, to Caesar Rodney, Dover. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
creatorOf Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952,. Signers of the Declaration of Independence autograph collection, 1756-1818. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Read, George, 1734-1798. Autograph letter signed : to Joshua Clayton, Governor of Delaware, 1793 Sept. 18. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Read Family Papers, 1568-1906, (bulk 1775-1906) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. Indictment against John Furbush, 1771 May. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Read, William Thompson, 1792-1873. Manuscripts, 1776-1869. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Clymer-Meredith-Read family papers, 1675-1902, bulk (1760s-1850s). New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Henry A. Willard II Collection, 1743-1888, (bulk 1770-1840) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Thomas Addis Emmet collection, 1483-1876 (bulk:1700-1800) New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Fox, George, 1759-1828. Letterbook, 1786-1797. American Philosophical Society Library
referencedIn Marian S. Carson collection of manuscripts, 1656-1995 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Miller, Joseph. Lawyer's case book containing notes of cases adjudged and determined in the courts of Delaware, 1793-1796. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Logan, Robert Restalrig,. Collection, 1671-1863. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Delaware. Court of Errors and Appeals. Notes of proceedings and cases determined in the high court of errors and appeals, the court of chancery, and the orphans court of the state of Delaware, 1792-1832. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Read family. Manuscripts, 1716-1872. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. Read's Delaware cases, 1793-1794. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. [Document] 1781 Jan. 5 / G. R. Smith College, Neilson Library
creatorOf Read, George, 1734-1798. Committee report, with autograph marginal note and signature, 1777 Feb. 11. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn George Fox letterbook, 1786-1797, 1786-1797 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Read family. Papers, 1692-1942. American Periodical Series I
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. Legal document, 1781 May. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Records of the U.S. Senate. 1789 - 2015. Credentials. 1789 - 1998. Credentials of Senators Richard Bassett and George Read from Delaware Center for Legislative Archives
creatorOf Read, George, 1734-1798. Autograph letter signed : to Caesar Rodney and Charles Ridgely, 1773 June 24. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
referencedIn McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817. Letter to John Adams, 1814 January. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. ALS, 1766 July 28, to John Dickinson, Philadelphia, Pa. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Read, John Meredith, 1837-1896. Letters : Albany, N.Y., Philadelphia, New York, Newport, R.I., and Paris, to Samuel Sartain, 1865-1896. Bryn Mawr College, Mariam Coffin Canaday Library
creatorOf Read, George, 1734-1798. Autograph document signed, 1765 Aug. 1. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Read Family Papers, 1568-1906, (bulk 1775-1906) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Lincoln, Anna T. Delaware's triumvirate / [signed] Anna T. Lincoln [19--]. University of Delaware Library, Hugh M Morris Library
referencedIn John Dickinson papers, Bulk, 1753-1808, 1676-1885 Library company of Philadelphia
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. AMS, 1776 October 7,8,10 : Congressional minutes extract. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
referencedIn Letters and documents of signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1750-1933. Houghton Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection (University of Virginia) corporateBody
correspondedWith Bedford, Gunning, 1742-1797. person
associatedWith Brinton, David. person
associatedWith Carson, Marian S., person
associatedWith Clayton, Joshua, 1744-1798, person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Delaware. Court of Errors and Appeals. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware. General Assembly. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware. Governor corporateBody
memberOf Delaware. Supreme Court. corporateBody
associatedWith De Valois, Marguarite, person
associatedWith Dickinson, John, 1732-1808. person
associatedWith Emmet, Thomas Addis person
associatedWith Fox, George, 1759-1828. person
associatedWith Hill, John. person
associatedWith Hubbard, John, collector. person
associatedWith Lincoln, Anna T. person
associatedWith Little, John. person
associatedWith Logan, Robert Restalrig, person
associatedWith Longacre, James Barton, 1794-1869. person
associatedWith McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817. person
associatedWith Miller, Joseph. person
associatedWith Pearce, Henry Ward, 1736-1828. person
memberOf Read family. family
associatedWith Read, John Meredith, 1837-1896. person
associatedWith Read, William J., person
associatedWith Read, William Thompson, 1792-1873. person
associatedWith Ridgely, Charles, person
associatedWith Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784, person
associatedWith Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952, person
associatedWith United States. corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. Senate corporateBody
memberOf United States. Continental Congress corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Navy corporateBody
associatedWith Willard, Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1902- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Township of New London PA US
Cecil County MD US
Philadelphia PA US
New Castle County DE US
New Castle DE US
Dover DE US
Subject
Military history
Indictments
Trials
Occupation
Delegates
Governors
Jurists
Lawyers
Senators, U.S. Congress
State Representative
Activity

Person

Birth 1733-09-18

Death 1798-09-21

Male

Americans,

Britons

English

Information

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