John Penn

John Penn was born in 1740 in Caroline County, Virginia, studied law, and moved to Granville County, North Carolina, where he built a practice. He was sent to the Continental Congress in 1775, signed the Declaration of Independence, and later signed the Articles of Confederation. He served on the Board of War and remained in Congress through difficult years, when the government often lacked money and men. After leaving Congress he held a state office connected with the taxation of land and then retired to his farm. He died in 1788, at forty-eight. He is not to be confused with the Penn family of Pennsylvania proprietors. His career was that of a working lawyer from a newer colony who accepted a national office, did the committee work assigned to him, and went home when it was done.

See also: Signers of the Declaration · William Hooper · Joseph Hewes