thumb|Site of Matthew Thorton’s childhood homestead in Brunswick, Maine.

thumb|The [[Matthew Thornton House in Derry, New Hampshire]]

thumb|Thornton's inn which he ran with his wife Hannah in Merrimack. It is located across from his gravesite and close to the former Thornton's Ferry landing site, which he also ran with his wife.

Matthew Thornton (March 3, 1714 – June 24, 1803) was an Irish-born Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Hampshire.

Background and early life

Thornton was born in Clare County in Ireland in 1714 to James and Elizabeth (née Jenkins) Thornton. He came to the United States with his brother Samuel who was born in 1712. They settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire. James Thornton lived on a farm within a mile of Derry, and this is where Matthew was probably born, although Lisburn have also been suggested as birthplaces.

In 1716, Thornton's family immigrated to North America when he was three years old, settling first in Wiscasset, Maine. On July 11, 1722, the community was attacked by Native Americans. Thornton completed studies in medicine at Leicester. He served in the New Hampshire Provincial Assembly from 1758-1762, had royal commissions as justice of the peace, and served as colonel in the militia from 1775 until his resignation in 1779.

In 1760, Thornton married Hannah Jack, and the couple had five children.

Continental Congress

Thornton served as the president of the New Hampshire Provincial Congress in 1775, and from January to September 1776, as speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He was elected to the Continental Congress after the debates on independence had occurred, but as he did not arrive in Philadelphia until November 1776, he was granted permission to actually sign the Declaration of Independence four months after the formal signing in July.

Later life

He became a political essayist. He retired from his medical practice, and in 1780, moved to Merrimack, New Hampshire, where he farmed and operated Thornton's ferry with his family. Although he did not attend law school, His wife Hannah died in 1786.

Death and legacy

Thornton died in Newburyport, Massachusetts, while visiting his daughter. He was 89 years old.

Thornton was the uncle of Capt. Matthew Thornton, a suspected Loyalist who was charged with treason related to actions just before the Battle of Bennington in 1777. Ebenezer Webster, father of Daniel Webster, was enlisted to investigate the allegation. At his trial Capt. Thornton pleaded not guilty. Evidence was presented both for and against and the jury found him not guilty, whereupon he was discharged.

See also

  • Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

References

Further reading

  • Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856