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Birth: 1747
Death: April 12, 1795 (age 47 or 48)
Colony: South Carolina
Occupation: Plantation Owner, Lawyer, Politician
Significance: Signed The Articles of Confederation (at the age of 30 or 31); served in the Continental Congress(1778-1779); served as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1782-1783); served as Mayor of Charleston (1783-1785)
Richard Hutson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Born in South Carolina, Hutson studied law at Princeton University, and he became a prominent South Carolina lawyer.
As the Revolutionary War began, Hutson became an outspoken advocate for American independence, and in 1778, Hutson was elected to serve in the Second Continental Congress. While in the Continental Congress, Hutson was among the first to sign the Articles of Confederation on July 9, 1778 after the Articles were ratified by his Colony of South Carolina.
Hutson left the Continental Congress in 1779 to return to Charleston, but this meant that Hutson was in Charleston when the city fell to the British. Hutson was imprisoned by the British Army, and he was held as a prisoner of war from 1780-1782. When Hutson was finally released, he returned to Charleston where he was elected as the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Hutson served as Lieutenant Governor for one term then left office to become the first elected Mayor of Charleston from 1783-1785. In 1788, Hutson was a delegate to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention which led to South Carolina's ratification of the United States Constitution.
Richard Hutson in Philadelphia
Richard Hutson traveled to Philadelphia in 1778 to serve as a member of the Second Continental Congress. While in the Continental Congress, Hutson worked at Independence Hall, where he signed The Articles of Confederation.
Today, Independence Hall is one of the stops visited along The Constitutional Walking Tour!
