Occupation lawyer Name John Penn | Role Continental Congress | |
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Born May 17, 1741 ( 1741-05-17 ) Caroline County, Virginia Known for signer of the United States Declaration of Independence Died September 14, 1788, Granville County, North Carolina, United States Resting place Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Similar People Joseph Hewes, William Williams, George Taylor, Thomas Nelson - Jr, George Wythe | ||
John Penn (May 17, 1741 – September 14, 1788) was a signer of both the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of North Carolina.
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Life
Penn was born near Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia, an only child of Moses Penn and Catherine [Taylor] Penn. He attended at common school for two years as his father did not consider education to be important. At age 18, after his father's death, Penn privately read law with his uncle, Edmund Pendleton. He became a lawyer in Virginia in 1762. In 1774, Penn moved to the Williamsborough, North Carolina area, where he practiced law.
Relations
On July 28, 1763, Penn married Susannah Lyne. The couple had three children.Their daughter, Lucy, married John Taylor of Caroline, a political leader from Virginia.
Political career
Penn was elected to the North Carolina Provincial Congress and elected by that body to the Continental Congress in 1775, serving until 1780. For the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was part of the North Carolina delegation that included Joseph Hewes and William Hooper. In 1777, Penn was one of the state's signers of the Articles of Confederation. Penn also served on the Board of War until 1780, when he retired to once again practice law. He served as receiver of taxes for North Carolina in 1784. When Penn died in 1788, he was buried on his estate near Island Creek, in Granville County. Penn was re-interred in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in 1894, alongside fellow congressional delegate, Hooper. The remains of his home site in Granville County, with his original grave and a nearby slave cemetery, are maintained by the local DAR chapter.
Legacy
The naval ship USS John Penn was named in his honor.
An historical highway marker honoring Penn was the first one erected by the State of North Carolina (January 10, 1936)