Rawle, William, 1759-1836

William Rawle was born to a Quaker family in Philadelphia on April 28, 1759. His stepfather was Samuel Shoemaker, who served as a mayor of Philadelphia during the American Revolution. A Loyalist, Rawle fled to New York on the sloop Harlem in June 1778, when the British evacuated Philadelphia. After studying law in New York, Rawle traveled to Cork, Ireland, and London, England, in 1781. In London, Rawle studied law at the Middle Temple until his departure for France in late June or early July 1782. He studied law in Paris and returned to Philadelphia in 1783, where he was admitted to the bar and began a legal practice. He served in the Pennsylvania legislature, as the state's district attorney (1791-1799), as the first president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and as chancellor of the Philadelphia bar. He and his wife, Sarah Coates Burge, married in 1783; their twelve children included William, Jr. (1788-1858), Edward (1797-1880), and Henry (1799-1816). William Rawle died on April 12, 1836.

From the guide to the William Rawle letter book, Rawle, William letter book, 1778-1782, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

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