Houstoun, William, c. 1755-1813

HOUSTOUN, William, a Delegate from Georgia; born in Savannah, Ga., in 1755; completed preparatory studies and attended higher schools in England; studied law; was admitted to the Inner Temple, London, in 1776; returned to Savannah at the beginning of the Revolution; Member of the Continental Congress 1784-1786; one of the agents on the part of Georgia to settle the boundary between that State and South Carolina in 1785; delegate to the constitutional convention which framed the Federal Constitution in 1787, but declined to sign the instrument; was one of the original trustees for the establishment of the University of Georgia, at Athens; died in Savannah, Ga., March 17, 1813; interment in St. Paul's Chapel, New York City.

<p>William Houston, also spelled Houstoun (c. 1755 – March 17, 1813), was an American planter, lawyer and statesman. He served the Province of Georgia as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later the State of Georgia to the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787.</p>

<p>William Houston was the son of Sir Patrick Houston, a member of the council under the royal government of Georgia. He was born in 1755 in Savannah, Georgia. Houston received a liberal education, which included legal training at Inner Temple in London.</p>

<p>The American Revolution cut short his training, and Houston returned home to Georgia. For many years members of Houston's family had been high officials in the colony. With the onset of war, many remained loyal to the crown, but William, a zealous advocate of colonists' rights, was among the first to counsel resistance to British aggression.</p>