John Beatty (Continental Congress)


John Beatty was an American physician and statesman from Princeton, New Jersey.

Early life

He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on December 10, 1749. Beatty was the oldest of ten children of Irish born Rev. Charles Clinton Beatty and Anne Beatty, who were married in 1746. His father was a Presbyterian minister who did missionary work among the Native Americans.
His maternal grandfather was John Reading, president of the New Jersey Provincial Council and acting Governor of the Province of New Jersey. His paternal grandparents were John Beatty and Christiana Beatty. John's grandmother was the daughter of James Clinton and the sister of Charles Clinton.
Beatty graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1769. He was a student of Founding Father Benjamin Rush.

Career

Beatty became a doctor and opened his first practice in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. He rose to the rank of major in the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was captured at the surrender of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776. After his exchange, he was appointed Commissary General for Prisoners with the rank of colonel.
By the end of the war he had become a resident of New Jersey, serving as a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council from 1781 to 1783, representing Middlesex County, and delegate from that state to the Continental Congress in 1784 and 1785.
He was the speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1789 to 1790, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the Third Congress from 1793 to 1795. He later served as Secretary of State of New Jersey from 1795 to 1805.

Personal life

Beatty was married to Catherine DeKlyn, the daughter of Mary DeKlyn and Barnt DeKlyn, who became wealthy selling textiles to the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Together, they were the parents of Robert Beatty and William Beatty.
Beatty was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey, and served as the organization's treasurer from 1823 until his death on May 30, 1826 in Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey.

Legacy

The Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a collection of personal papers, including diaries, correspondences and genealogical notes, related to the Beatty Family. Besides John Beatty's papers, the collection also includes journals by his father, Charles Clinton Beatty, who served as an early missionary with George Duffield among Native Americans.