Williamson, Hugh

Williamson, Hugh (1735-1819) Signer of the Constitution: Hugh Williamson was born on December 5, 1735, in West Nottingham, Pennsylvania. After receiving degrees from the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), he taught mathematics there. Williamson studied medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England and the University of Utrecht, where he received a medical degree. In 1771, he published "An Essay on Comets," and studied the paths of Venus and Mercury. A witness to the Boston Tea Party in 1773, he warned the Privy Council in England of the danger of rebellion unless colonial grievances were addressed. Williamson found and revealed letters of colonial officials which supported the "abridgment ... of English liberties" for the colonists. Upon his return to North America, he helped Benjamin Franklin conduct some of his experiments. In 1776, he began a profitable trading business with the West Indies. During the Revolutionary War, he served as surgeon general for the North Carolina troops, saving the lives of many with inoculations and sanitary measures. Williamson went on to serve in the North Carolina legislature and the Continental Congress. In 1787, he was one of the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention, at which he signed the US Constitution. In 1789, he was elected to the US House of Representatives. After leaving the House of Representatives in 1793, he spent his time writing on scientific subjects, and was most recognized for his studies of climate. He died in New York, New York on May 22, 1819.

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