John Penn (North Carolina politician)


John Penn was a signer of both the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a delegate of North Carolina.

Life

Penn was born near Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia, an only child of Moses Penn and Catherine Penn. He attended at common school for two years as his father did not consider education to be important. At age 18, after his father's death, Penn privately read law with his uncle, Edmund Pendleton. He became a lawyer in Virginia in 1762. In 1774, Penn moved to the Stovall, North Carolina area, where he practiced law until his death in 1788.

Relations

On July 28, 1763, Penn married Susannah Lyne. The couple had three children. Their daughter, Lucy, married John Taylor of Caroline, a political leader from Virginia.

Political career

Penn was elected to the 3rd and 4th North Carolina Provincial Congresses from Granville County and elected by that body to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, serving until 1780. For the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was part of the North Carolina delegation that included Joseph Hewes and William Hooper. In 1777, Penn was one of the state's signers of the Articles of Confederation. Penn also served on the Board of War until 1780, when he retired to once again practice law. He served as receiver of taxes for North Carolina in 1784. When Penn died in 1788, he was buried on his estate near Stovall, in Granville County. Penn was re-interred in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in 1894, alongside fellow congressional delegate, Hooper. The remains of his home site in the Stovall area, with his original grave and a nearby slave cemetery, are maintained by the local DAR chapter.

Legacy

The naval ship USS John Penn was named in his honor.
A historical highway marker honoring Penn was erected in Stovall, North Carolina and was the first one erected by the State of North Carolina