VOL. XIX. NO. 6
Publication date. Saturday.
Subscription. 55.00 per year.
WEEKLY SURVEY
OF NORTH CAROLINA
JULY 7, 1951
Carl Gocrch. Publisher,
Lawyers Bldg., Raleigh, N. C.
Entered as second-class matter June I, 1933, at the Postofficc at Raleigh, North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879
Signers of the Declaration
There were three men from \orth Carolina
who signed the historic document but none
of the three was a native-born son of the
Old .\orth State.
tty HRS. MAX ABERAETIIY
The fourth of July 1951, marks the
one hundred and seventy-fifth anni¬
versary of the signing of America’s
Declaration of Independance.
When Joseph Hewes, John Penn and
William Hooper, as representatives
from North Carolina put their signa¬
tures on our country's most famous
document, Tar Heels no doubt felt
that justifiable pride which came front
having a part in forming a great, free
nation.
We read the words slowly and with
great satisfaction which said: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with cer¬
tain unalienable Rights, that among
these arc Life, Liberty and the pur¬
suit of Happiness.”
Today there is in the rotunda of our
State Capitol in Raleigh a plaque in
honor of the three men who helped
make us a part of today's America. It
seems rather incongruous, however,
that none of these men was a native-
born son of North Carolina. Although
they proved adopted sons which any
State might be proud to claim they all
started life elsewhere.
John Penn
John Penn was one of our closest
neighbors before he decided on North
Carolina as a permanent home and
came to settle in Granville County. He
was born in Carolina County, Virginia
in 1741, the only son of Moses and
Catharine Taylor Penn.
If his father might have looked into
a crystal ball and seen to what prom¬
inence his son would rise in the future
it is certain he would have been more
mindful of his education. Although
Moses Penn was well able to give John
a good English education he allowed
him nothing more than several years in
a common county school.
His father died when the boy was
eighteen and, as his sole heir, he was
left a comfortable estate. The son had
led a relatively solitary and isolated
life so he had no young friends to tempt
him to join with them in spending his
inheritance in riotous living. Instead
he decided to use it to get the schooling
he had earlier been denied. He studied
law and with the help of his uncle, the
eminent Edward Pendleton, who pos¬
sessed an excellent library, he was ad¬
mitted to the bar at the age of
twenty-one.
The young lawyer was a persuasive
and eloquent speaker who soon made
a name for himself locally. Coming
into North Carolina in 1774, he be¬
came so distinguished for his patrio¬
tism and brilliancy that his adopted
State honored hint the following year
by sending him as a delegate to the
Continental Congress in Philadelphia
to succeed Richard Caswell. He served
for three successive years, and in this
capacity signed the Declaration of In¬
dependence.
In 1784 Penn was appointed Re¬
ceiver of Taxes for the State. It was a
mean, unpopular position which he
did not keep long. Resigning after a few
weeks he retired to his law practice and
never again held public office. He was
married to Susan Lyme and had three
children. He died in 1788.
If he wished to immortalize his name,
William Hooper picked the right time
to come into the Colony
л
North Caro¬
lina for it is doubtful if at any later
date the State would have sent a Bos¬
ton Yankee as one of its representa¬
tives in Congress.
William Hooper was born in Boston
in 1742, the son of a Scotch minister.
At the age of seven he was placed
under the tutelage of John Levell, one
of the most famous teachers in Massa¬
chusetts. His father wanted him to
enter the ministry and so sought to give
him the best possible education. Wil¬
liam had other plans, however, and
after being graduated from Harvard
he studied law.
Upon the completion of his law-
studies the young barrister found that
his home town already had enough
lawyers so he decided to try his luck
in North Carolina where he had rela¬
tives. He came to Wilmington in 1764
and practiced law for one year and
then returned to Boston. He soon de¬
cided the girls were prettier and the
climate better in North Carolina so he
returned to the State in
П67.
married
Miss Ann Clark and settled in New
Hanover County.
He quickly interested himself in
State affairs and in 1773 was elected
a member of the Provincial Assembly
from the town of Wilmington, and the
following year returned as a member
for New Hanover County. He was ap¬
pointed a delegate to the New Bern
Convention in 1774 and was named
North Carolina’s first delegate to the
Continental Congress. He was sent to
Congress in 1775 and again in 1776
( Continued on page 17)
THE STATE. July 7. 1951
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