Delegates Bio Project
By Matthew Rice
Basic Infornmation
Delegate Name & Info
- William Samuel Johnson
- Born on October 27, 1727
- He went to Yale(1774) & M. A. Harvard(1747)
Delegate Profession(s)
- Lawyer, Inventor, Public Security Interests, Lending and Investments
Delegate age at Convention
- He was 59
Did he sign the Constitution ?
- Yes he did
Professional Infornmation
Professional Achievements
- Served as Senator from Connecticut (1789 - 1791) and assisted in the passage of the Judiciary Act.
What did he do to gain American Independence
- He attended the Stamp Act Congress in 1765 & moderately opposed the Townshend Duties of 1767, and believed that most British policies were unwise
- Johnson decided to work for peace between Britain and the colonies and to oppose the extremist Whig faction
Was delegate profession(s) useful for the Constitution
- He began his public career as a Connecticut militia officer
- In 1761 and 1765 he served in the lower house of the colonial assembly.
Constitutional Contribution
What ideas did the delegate come up/agree with
- Espoused the Connecticut Compromise; and chaired the Committee of Style, which shaped the final document. He also worked for ratification in Connecticut.
- He contributed to passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789.
Why was the delegate chosen as a representative ?
- He is said to be one of the first classics in America, and certainly possess a very strong and enlighten understanding."
State Infornmation
Why would your delegate's state want independence ?
What was your delegate's state main export(s) ?
Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, Oil
How would the Constitution benefit your delegate and/or state ?
- Connecticut was stoutly antislavery. In the early years of independence, the general assembly enacted legislation providing that every black born after 1 March 1784 would be free at age 25.
- Connecticut had a number of antislavery and abolition societies whose members routed escaped slaves to Canada via the Underground Railroad.