Humphreys, Charles, 1714-1786

Charles Humphreys (September 19, 1714 – March 11, 1786) was a Founding Father of the United States, having signed the Continental Association, representing Pennsylvania. He was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and was a slave owner, miller, and fuller.

Born in Haverford in the Colony of Pennsylvania, Humphreys completed prepatory studies before engaging in milling. A member of the Provincial Congress from 1764 to 1774 and a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, he was a signatory to the Continental Association, however he voted against the Declaration of Independence, since he believed it would inevitably escalate the Revolutionary War and that conflicted with his Quaker beliefs. Humphreys withdrew from the Congress soon afterwards. Despite not taking part in the Revolutionary War, his sympathies were with the patriotic cause, and he criticized what he thought was British oppression. Humphreys became the owner of a grist and fulling mill in 1782.

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