George Reed: DE Signer of the Declaration of Independence

George Read was born on September 18, 1733, in Cecil County, Maryland, to Colonel John Read, who had immigrated to America sometime before Read’s birth. His mother’s name is unknown. He was the eldest of eight children, consisting of six sons and two daughters. His family ancestry can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland. His father was a descendant of Sir Thomas Read, a knight. Sir Read was also with King Henry VI at Parliament in 1439.

After Read was born, the family relocated to New Castle, Delaware. Read attends a seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, for his education, then goes on to Dr. Allison’s school in New London for further studies. One of his classmates at Dr. Allison’s school was Charles Thomson, who would become the secretary of the Continental Congress. From there, he moves to Philadelphia, around the age of sixteen, to study law under John Morland. Here, he would meet another future prominent citizen named John Dickinson. Read and Dickinson would be lifelong friends, with Read helping to restore Dickinson’s reputation after he refused to sign the Declaration. The study of law in those days was intense in both book learning and application. He was not assisted by books or treatises but instead learned on the job. Later, when he would acquire his own library, he would make notes in the margins of books while conducting research. In Morland’s will, he instructs his family to use Read’s services, as he had a strong attachment to his former student and was very impressed by his high ethical standards.

            In 1753, he was admitted to the bar and wrote to his parents to tell them he was staying in Philadelphia to open a practice because there was more opportunity for him. He would still take up Lancaster and New Castle business, but because of more established lawyers there, Morland had advised him to stay in Philadelphia. Read wrote this because he wants to hear his parents’ opinion on the matter. At this time, he also relinquishes his right to his father’s estate, saying he had received enough in the form of his education, and it was unfair of him to expect more. It appears his parents encouraged him to return to New Castle, because by March of 1754, he had relocated to the city and settled there for the remainder of his life. He opens a practice and begins practicing in the three lower counties of Delaware and in Maryland. While it was competitive, he managed to maintain a full, busy practice in this area.

            On January 11, 1763, he married Gertrude Ross Till, who was the widowed sister of future signer George Ross. She was the daughter of a clergyman, and together they would have five children. John was born in 1763, but sadly would pass away the next year. Their next child, George, was born in 1765 and would serve 30 years as the US District Attorney of Delaware. Their next child, William, was born in 1767 and would become the Consul General of the Kingdom of Naples. Another son, John, would be born in 1769 and would eventually become a Senator from Pennsylvania. Their only daughter, Mary Howell, was born in 1770, and she eventually married Matthew Pearce. Gertrude would pass away in 1802 and was described as a strong-minded and well-educated woman of her time. She was considered beautiful, elegant, and pious. They would be constantly separated during his years of public service, and her large family had to flee several times during the war.

            In the same year as his marriage, Read was appointed Attorney General of the Lower Three Counties of Delaware. During this time, he corresponds with his friend, Sir Richard Neave, and warns him what could happen if Parliament does not change its ways of dealing with the colonies. He also notes, in letters, that one day the colonies would surpass England in her industries. He resigned from this position on October 15, 1774, when he was seated at the First Continental Congress. Just before receiving this position, he had been Attorney General of Pennsylvania and the presiding prosecutor in Delaware. Unfortunately, during this year of happiness, he learns from his brother, James, that their brother, William, who was a merchant, was murdered while in the West Indies.[1]

            In 1765, he was elected a representative from New Castle to the Delaware General Assembly and held this position until 1777. He was also a member of the Committee of Correspondence. But it was 1769, a year that held quite a bit of excitement for Read. He became involved in the prospective marriage of his sister, Polly, to Gunning Bedford. His mother was unwilling to give her approval, and Read intervened and urged her to approve the marriage, as Bedford’s father was willing to hand over a plantation to the groom upon his marriage. Polly was determined to go through with the marriage, whether or not she had her mother’s blessing. While Read was unable to convince his mother that the match was good, he helped his sister get married by buying her a serviceable dress and offering his home as a wedding venue. The match was a good one, as Bedford eventually fought in the Revolution and later became Governor of Delaware in 1769.

            Read also wrote a circular letter to the citizens of Delaware in 1769, stating why Delaware had not joined the non-importation agreement. This was due to the absence of traders in Delaware who imported directly from Great Britain. But he recommends that Delaware join the non-importation agreement, and the legislature agrees to that in August of 1769. However, no measures were ever implemented to detect and root out violators, which showed the confidence people at that time and in that area had in others’ virtue.[2]

            In August of 1774, Read was elected to the First Continental Congress and took his seat at Carpenter’s Hall in September. He would be consistently re-elected to Congress throughout the Revolutionary War. During the first session, which was short and lasted until October 26, he wrote a series of letters to his wife, documenting his time in Congress, his social engagements, and his illnesses. At one point, he tells his wife he has taken the bark 14 times.[3]  During this session of Congress, they worked on the non-importation and non-exportation agreements. The latter, taking effect after September 1775, should Parliament refuse to repeal the laws they were protesting.

            After winning the election to the Second Continental Congress, he returned to Philadelphia in May of 1775. This time, when he wrote to his wife, he told her about the long hours the delegates would put in. The days would start at 9 am, and he would not return to his lodgings until 9 pm. Many times, Congress would not adjourn for the evening until 5 pm, and unlike the first Congress, this Congress did not engage in as much entertaining.[4]

            Read did not vote for independence, but he did sign the engrossed copy of the Declaration. He had previously received instructions from the Delaware legislature not to vote for Independence and to attempt reconciliation in March of 1776. Still, by June of 1776, the delegates were authorized to break from Great Britain. He was still holding out for reconciliation at the time of the vote. But once it was voted for and he signed it, he never wavered in his commitment to the cause. He, like others, felt that it was too soon to break from Great Britain. When McKean finds out that Read was going to vote “nay,” he sends a message to Rodney, who rides eighty miles in one night to be there the morning of July 2, to vote for independence.

It is said that Joseph Galloway taunted him for signing the Declaration by saying, “He had done so with a rope about his neck.”  Read replied, “I know the risks, and am prepared for all the consequences.”  He knew that by not signing, he would not be able to hold public office again and serve his country.[5]  As well, he introduced a measure which says, “Anyone who shall willfully break this agreement shall have his name published in the Public Newspapers as a betrayer of the civil rights of America and forever be deemed infamous and a traitor.” [6]  Read’s acceptance of the Declaration would sometimes be compared to Patrick Henry’s acceptance of the Constitution once Virginia ratified it.

During his time in Congress, he was appointed to the Committee of 13, which carried out the resolutions requiring the outfitment of a naval armament. He also has to move around constantly to avoid capture. In 1776, he also authored the first Delaware Constitution and served as president of the convention. The convention would sit for 26 days, and its members were mostly merchants and farmers, with a few lawyers. This constitution would be in effect until 1792. While out of Philadelphia, he was in constant contact with his fellow Congressional delegates and received word from Chase, Wilson, and Clymer that troops needed to be raised to aid the defense of Philadelphia. He commenced to do so and informed General McKinley on December 4, 1776, that he would do so, but the General shirked his duty and instead discouraged men from joining General Washington.

Read was almost captured by the British in 1777 when he had to return to Delaware and take over the office of President. He and his family left Philadelphia by ferry to cross at Salem, New Jersey. The British spot him on board, and he manages to fool them by posing as a traveling country gentleman heading home with his family. The British soldiers fell for the ruse and let him go, even helping him get to the shore.[7]  But Read was not the only member of his family to take part in the war effort. Several family members would participate in the war, including his brother-in-law, Colonel Bedford; his brother-in-law, General William Thompson, who was married to his sister, Katy; and one of his brothers, who became a colonel.

He returns to Delaware because the President of the State has been captured by the British, and the state is a mess. It was full of spies, the army was being defeated, and violence was breaking out between the Tories and the Patriots. His family will be moved to Cecil, Maryland, to stay with his brother-in-law, and during this time he was unable to run the state. Thomas McKean steps in to Function as President. He relinquished this office as soon as Read was able to fulfill its duties. Unfortunately, Read had to retire from public service between 1778 and 1779 due to ill health, as he wrote in a letter to General Washington.

By 1782, he was appointed by the Congress as Judge of the Court of Appeals and held this position until the court was abolished. He was then appointed Commissioner of a Federal Court to resolve the territorial disputes between New York and Massachusetts. In 1786, he was a delegate to the Annapolis Convention, where they agreed to meet again to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation.

In 1787, he was appointed as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he advocated for the smaller states and for how they would be represented in the new government. He believed that amending the Articles was a bad idea and supported a new government with a strong central authority. Read favored giving the Federal government the right to veto state laws and thought the President should have broad appointive powers. He signs the Constitution twice. Once, he signed his own name and then signed John Dickinson’s name because Dickinson had to leave early for unknown reasons.[8]  In addition to his service at the convention, he led the efforts to ratify the Constitution in Delaware, which became the first to do so.

From 1789 to 1793, he served as a U.S. Senator from Delaware and was re-elected a second time, but declined to serve. He supported the assumption of member states’ debts, setting up a national bank and imposing excise taxes. After he declined a second term, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. He died suddenly on September 21, 1798, and was interred in Immanuel Episcopal Church cemetery in New Castle, Delaware.

Tidbits

He was not a wealthy signer and earned only a moderate income. His home was destroyed in 1834 by a fire that swept through New Castle, devastating the street where he lived. It was in this home that he entertained many dignitaries, including George Washington and several Revolutionary Generals. His son’s home, which was next to his home, was spared during the fire and is located next to Read’s home site. Read’s home site is now covered by a beautiful garden.

Read is described as being tall and slender, with fine features and dark eyes. He had a high character, which was dignified, but he had a very pleasant disposition. He once said, “I am a poor man, but, poor as I am, the King of England is not reach enough to purchase me.” [9]

He was a fussy dresser and would give great care and attention to what he wore.

He was a Member of the Church of England, but after the war, the church renamed itself the American Episcopal Communion.

He kept Almanacs and diaries noting various events, bets, sciences, literature, and terms of membership in certain organizations. He notes one particular bet in 1758 on which battles would be won during the war.

[1] Read, William Thompson. Life and correspondence of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. With notices of some of his contemporaries. (Lippincott, Center for Research Libraries) 40

[2] Read, William Thompson. Life and correspondence of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. With notices of some of his contemporaries. 82

[3] Read, William Thompson. Life and correspondence of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. With notices of some of his contemporaries. 90-95

[4] Read, William Thompson. Life and correspondence of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. With notices of some of his contemporaries. 105-108

[5] Read, William Thompson. Life and correspondence of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. With notices of some of his contemporaries. 165-66

[6] http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers‑by‑state/

[7] Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D’Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of The Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia: Quirk Book, c2009)

[8] Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D’Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of The Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence 144

[9] The quote is taken from Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of the Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003) 219