John Morton (1725 – April 1, 1777) was an American farmer, surveyor, and jurist from the Province of Pennsylvania and a Founding Father of the United States. As a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolution, he was a signatory to the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence. Morton provided the swing vote that allowed Pennsylvania to vote in favor of the Declaration. Morton chaired the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, though he died before signing.

Early life

thumb|Morton's birthplace

Morton was born in Ridley, in Chester County, present-day Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1724 or 1725. His father, also named John Morton, died before his birth. His mother, Mary Archer, later married John Sketchley, a land surveyor of English ancestry. Sketchley raised and educated Morton, also training him in surveying.

Both of Morton's parents were of Finnish descent. His family background can be traced to the Forest Finns, settlers from eastern Finland who moved to central Sweden in the 16th and 17th centuries to practice slash-and-burn farming. Although his family roots have traditionally been traced to Rautalampi in northern Savo, DNA research suggests that they may have originally come from Kangasniemi parish in southern Savo.

Morton was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and the Second Continental Congress in 1775. He cautiously helped move Pennsylvania towards independence, though he opposed the radical Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. When in June 1776 Congress began the debate on a resolution of independence, the Pennsylvania delegation was split, with Benjamin Franklin and James Wilson in favor of declaring independence, and John Dickinson, Robert Morris, Charles Humphreys and Thomas Willing opposed. Morton was uncommitted until July 1, when he sided with Franklin and Wilson. When the final vote was taken on July 2, Dickinson and Morris absented themselves, allowing the Pennsylvania delegation to support the resolution of independence. Morton signed the Declaration on August 2 with most of the other delegates.

Morton was chairman of the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, although he died, probably from tuberculosis, before the Articles were ratified. He was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence (and writer of the Articles of Confederation) to die, barely nine months after the Declaration's signing on July 4, 1776.

Legacy

thumb|John Morton's grave in the Old [[St. Paul's Church (Chester, Pennsylvania)|St. Paul's Church Burial Ground, Chester, Pennsylvania.]]

Morton was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence to die and was buried in Old St. Paul's Church Burial Ground (also known as the Old Swedish Burial Ground) in Chester, Pennsylvania. Morton's grave remained unmarked until October 1845, when the present-day 11-foot marble obelisk was erected by his descendants.

The inscription on the west side of the memorial reads:

The inscription of the east side of the memorial reads:

The inscription on the south side of the memorial reads:

The inscription on the north side of the memorial reads:

John Morton's role in signing the Declaration of Independence has been important for the identity of Finnish Americans. In the early 20th century, Finnish immigrants asserted their place among the "founding nationalities" of the United States through Morton and the Delaware colony. Amateur historian Reverend Salomon Ilmonen helped promote this connection during Delaware's 300th anniversary. Celebrations of the New Sweden colony and Morton's legacy in 1938 and in 1988 boosted Finnish Americans' pride in their heritage.

Personal life

In 1754, Morton married Ann Justis of Chester County, and together they had three sons and five daughters; Aaron, Sketchley, John, Mary, Sarah, Lydia, Ann and Elizabeth. Like Morton, Ann Justis was of Finnish or Swedish descent.

See also

  • Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Notes

References

  • Purcell, L. Edward. Who Was Who in the American Revolution. New York: Facts on File, 1993. .
  • Warden, Rosemary. "Morton, John". American National Biography Online, February 2000.

Further reading

  • Morton, John S. A History of the Origin of the Apellation Keystone State as Applied to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Together with Extracts from Many Authorities Relative to the Adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, July 4, 1776; To Which is Appended the New Constitution of Pennsylvania with an Alphabetical Contents. Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, 1874.
  • Historical Marker and Biography
  • Mårten Mårtensson and his Morton Family by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig
  • John Morton Prize