BUTTON GWINNETT - Signer of the Declartion of Independence Biography by
Appleton's edited by Stanley L. Klos
New Page 3
Button Gwinnett
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Gwinnett Signed Document Courtesy of
The Forbes Collection of American Historical Documents (Part I)
27 March 2002, 10:00 am at Christie's
20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York
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BUTTON
GWINNETT was born at Down Hatherly, Gloucestshire, England in 1735,
the son of a Welsh clergyman and an English mother. His parents were respectable
and gave their son as good an education as their moderate circumstances would
allow. On coming of age, Gwinnett became a merchant in the city of Bristol. He
married when he was twenty-two and emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina in
the early 1760's. He stayed there for about two years, and then moved to
Savannah, Georgia were in 1765 he established himself as a general trader. In
1770, after selling all his merchandise, he purchased a large tract of land in
on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, where he devoted himself extensively to the
agricultural pursuits of his plantation.
Prior
to 1775, Gwinnett did not take an active part in politics. However,
his subsequent enthusiasm for maintaining colonial rights attracted the
attention of his fellow citizens. At
the meeting of the provincial assembly held in Savannah on January 20,
1776, he was appointed a representative in congress and he voted for and signed
the Declaration of Independence. In
October 1775, he was re-elected for the following year. In
February 1777, he was appointed a member of the Georgia state government and is
said to have furnished the basis of the constitution that was later adopted. After
the death of the president of the provincial council, a Mr. Bullock, Gwinnett
was appointed to fill the vacant office on March 4, 1777. In
May 1777, he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Georgia. During
the Revolutionary War Gwinnett's property was totally destroyed by the British. At
the time that he represented Georgia in Congress, Gwinnett became a candidate
for the office of brigadier general of the continental brigade about to be
assembled in Georgia. His opponent
for the office was Colonel Lackland M'Intosh. M'Intosh
was appointed and Gwinnett, being unnaturally disappointed and short of temper,
was so embittered that he regarded M'Intosh as a personal enemy from that day
on.
Gwinnett
became president of the Executive Council, and he adopted several measures that
were able to mortify his adversary, General M'Intosh. One
of these was the appropriation of great power by the Executive Council over the
continental army in Georgia. General
M'Intosh was consequently treated with disrespect by some of his officers and
soldiers. To humble his adversary
still further, Gwinnett projected a expedition against East Florida giving the
command of the continental troops and the Georgia Militia to himself, excluding
General M'Intosh from even the command of his own brigade. Gwinnett's
office, as president of the council, prevented him from proceeding at the head
of the expedition. The troops where
by Gwinnett's orders placed under the command of a subordinate officer of
M'Intosh's brigade. The expedition
nearly failed and probably contributed to the failure of Gwinnett's election to
the office of Governor in May 1777.
The
loss of the election to Governor blasted Gwinnett's hopes and brought his
political career to an end. General
M'Intosh foolishly celebrated the disappointment and mortification of his
adversary. The animosity between
these two distinguished gentlemen continued to gather strength from this time
on. Finally, Gwinnett, unmindful of
the high offices that he had held and of his obligations to society, challenged
M'Intosh to a duel, which was fought on May 15, 1777. They
fought at a distance of only twelve feet and both were severely wounded. Gwinnett's
wound proved mortal and on May 27, 1777, at forty-five years of age he died a
victim to false ambition and a false sense of honor.
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