Thomas Lynch Jr.

Thomas Lynch Jr. was born in 1749 in Prince George's Parish, South Carolina, educated in England, and called to the English bar before returning home. His father, Thomas Lynch, was a member of the Continental Congress but was disabled by a stroke and could not sign the Declaration. The son was elected in his place, arrived in time to sign, and was, with Edward Rutledge, among the two youngest of the fifty-six. His own health was poor. In 1779 he sailed for France, hoping the climate would restore him; the ship was lost at sea, and he and his wife perished, probably in 1779. He was a young planter and lawyer in a slaveholding society, and he did not live long enough to leave a large public record after the signing. The empty date of his death is itself part of the story: not every signer came home from the Revolution.

See also: Signers of the Declaration · Edward Rutledge · Thomas Heyward Jr. · Arthur Middleton