Clymer, George, 1739-1813

George Clymer (March 16, 1739 – January 23, 1813) was an American politician and Founding Father of the United States, signing both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Although fact-checkers claim he never held slaves, it would appear that Clymer held slaves as some point in his life. He was one of the first Patriots to advocate complete independence from Britain. He attended the Continental Congress and served in political office until the end of his life.

Born in Philadelphia, he was apprenticed to his maternal aunt and uncle, Hannah and William Coleman, to prepare to become a merchant. Clymer was a patriot and leader in the demonstrations in Philadelphia resulting from the Tea Act and the Stamp Act. Clymer accepted the command as a leader of a volunteer corps belonging to General John Cadwalader's brigade. In 1759, he was inducted as a member of the original American Philosophical Society. He became a member of the Philadelphia Committee of Safety in 1773 and was elected to the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1780. Clymer shared the responsibility of being treasurer of the Continental Congress with Michael Hillegas. He served on several committees during his first congressional term and was sent with Sampson Mathews to inspect the northern army at Fort Ticonderoga on behalf of Congress in the fall of 1776. When Congress fled Philadelphia in the face of Sir Henry Clinton's threatened occupation, Clymer stayed behind with George Walton and Robert Morris. Clymer’s business ventures during and after war served to increase his wealth. In 1779 and 1780, Clymer and his son Meredith engaged in a lucrative trade with Sint Eustatius. Although not partial to the merchant business, Clymer continued in business with his father-in-law and brother-in-law until 1782.

He resigned from Congress in 1777 and in 1780 was elected to a seat in the Pennsylvania Legislature. He was re-elected to the Pennsylvania legislature in 1784 and represented his state at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He was elected to the first U.S. Congress in 1789. He was the first president of the Philadelphia Bank and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and vice-president of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society. When Congress passed a bill imposing a duty on spirits distilled in the United States in 1791, Clymer was placed as head of the excise department in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also one of the commissioners to negotiate a treaty with the Creek Indian confederacy at Colerain, Georgia on June 29, 1796.

In retirement, Clymer was elected first president of Philadelphia Bank, first president of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, and vice-president of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society. He held all of these posts until his death in January of 1813. He was buried at the Friends Burying Ground in Trenton, New Jersey.