Tilghman, Matthew, 1718-1790

Matthew Tilghman (February 17, 1718 – May 4, 1790) was an American Founding Father, planter, and Revolutionary leader from Maryland. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, where he signed the 1774 Continental Association.

Matthew was born on the family plantation, The Hermitage, near Centreville in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. He was educated through private tutoring before moving to Talbot County on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Tilghman's first public service was as a Justice of the Peace for Talbot County. In 1751 he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. He would serve there through the remainder of its service to the Colony; in 1760 and 1761 he represented Queen Anne's County. He was elected the Speaker of the House from 1773 to its end in 1775.

In the early days of the American Revolution, Tilghman was in the forefront of the political revolution in Maryland. He was an early member of the colony's committee of correspondence. For three years (1774–1776) he effectively headed the revolution in Maryland. He was the chairman of the Committee of Safety, president of the revolutionary assembly known as the Annapolis Convention, and the head of the Maryland delegation to the Continental Congress. While in the Congress, Tilghman debated and supported the Declaration of Independence. He voted for its final approval, but was replaced in the Congress by Charles Carroll of Carrollton before a copy was signed. When the new Maryland state government went into effect later in 1776, Tilghman was elected to the state Senate. He would serve there until 1783, and from 1780 to 1783 he was President of the Senate.

In 1783 he retired from public life, and attended to his properties. Matthew died at his home Rich Neck Manor, near Claiborne, Maryland on May 4, 1790 and was buried in a family cemetery there.