Thomas Fitzsimons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania'sAt-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1795 | |
| Preceded by | (district created) |
| Succeeded by | John Swanwick Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg Richard Thomas Samuel Sitgreaves andJohn Richards Daniel Hiester John Andre Hanna John W. Kittera Thomas Hartley Andrew Gregg David Bard andSamuel Maclay William Findley Albert Gallatin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1741 (1741-10) |
| Died | August 26, 1811(1811-08-26) (aged 69) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Mary's, Philadelphia |
| Political party | Pro-Administration |
| Occupation | Statesman, merchant, soldier |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Fitzsimons (October 1741 – August 26, 1811) was an Irish-bornAmerican Founding Father, merchant, banker, and politician. A resident ofPhiladelphia, Fitzsimons representedPennsylvania in theContinental Congress, was a delegate toConstitutional Convention, and served inU.S. Congress. He was a signatory of theConstitution of the United States.[1] Although an owner of two slaves in 1790, Fitzsimons was an early proponent of abolishing theslave trade in the newly formed nation.[2][3][4][5]
Fitzsimons was born in theKingdom of Ireland in 1741. In 1760 his family immigrated to Philadelphia.[6] Fitzsimons had enough education that he could begin work as a clerk in a mercantile house. He married Catherine Meade on November 23, 1761, and formed a business partnership withher brother George. Their firm, which specialized in theWest Indies trade, successfully operated for over 41 years.[7]
The firm was soon hit by the new revenue measures created to help support the finances of theKingdom of Great Britain, including the much-reviledStamp Act of 1765. Concerned with these ideas, Fitzsimons became active in the Irish merchant community in Philadelphia. He was a founding member of theFriendly Sons of St. Patrick in 1771 and later, in 1774, a steering committee organized to protest theCoercive Acts.[7]
When Pennsylvania began mobilizing and organizing a militia to fight the British, Fitzsimons became involved. He served as captain of a company of home guards, which he raised under the command ofColonel John Cadwalader. Initially, his company served as part of the soldiers who manned posts along the New Jersey coast to defend against invasion. His unit later served as part of the reserve at the 1776Battle of Trenton. Later in the war, he served on the Pennsylvania Council of Safety and headed a board to oversee the newly formedPennsylvania Navy. Under this role, he helped organize the strategic resources of Pennsylvania and later provided supplies, ships, and money in support of Pennsylvanian and French forces.
Thomas Fitzsimons entered politics as a delegate to theContinental Congress in 1782 and 1783. He was a member ofthe United States House of Representatives from 1789 until 1795.[8] He was also a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787. Although not a leading member of that convention, he supported a strong national government, the end of slavery, theUnited States Congress's powers to impose atariff on imports and exports, the granting of theHouse of Representatives, and power in equal to theUnited States Senate in making treaties. Based on debates had during the convention, he was not a supporter ofuniversal suffrage.[8] He was one of twoCatholic signers of the United States Constitution, the other beingDaniel Carroll of Maryland.
Fitzsimons was a supporter of the military, and he was not shy about sharing his opinion. He is known to have been open about his agreement on not dissolving the army until absolutely necessary.[8]
After the Constitution was established, he served in the first three sessions of the House of Representatives as a Federalist, where he favored protective tariffs and a strong navy, co-drafting the 1794 law authorizing theoriginal six frigates of the United States Navy.[9] He was one of nine representatives to vote against theEleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution.[10] Fitzsimons failed to win re-election in 1794, being defeated byJohn Swanwick, who carried seven of Philadelphia's twelve districts with 57% of the vote. This was partially attributed to public opinion turning against theFederalist Party over the forceful suppression of theWhiskey Rebellion. Although he never held elective office again, Fitzsimons served in 1798 as head of the committee of merchants overseeing the subscription loan to build a warship at private expense for use in theQuasi-War.[9]
In 1796, FitzSimons, along with James Innes of Virginia, was appointed by PresidentJohn Adams to serve as one of two American members on the five-man debt commission charged under Article VI of theJay Treaty with examining the claims of British subjects unable to collect debts incurred by Americans prior to theAmerican Revolution.[11] FitzSimons, Innes, and,Samuel Sitgreaves, who replaced Innes upon the latter's death, became annoyed with the arguments used by their three British counterparts, Thomas Macdonald, Henry Pye Rich, and John Guillemard, to inflate the claims total, and FitzSimons and Sitgreaves angrily and permanently seceded from the board in July 1799.[12] The claims were eventually disposed of by a lump-sum payment, agreed upon by United States Minister to BritainRufus King with British Foreign SecretaryRobert Banks Jenkinson and approved by PresidentThomas Jefferson and the Senate in 1802.[13]
After withdrawing from politics, Fitzsimons remained active in civic and business affairs. He served as president of Philadelphia'sChamber of Commerce, as a trustee of theUniversity of Pennsylvania, director of the Delaware Insurance Company, and a director of theBank of North America from 1781 to 1803. He was a founder of the bank and supported efforts to found theCollege of Georgetown.[7] Fitzsimons had also helped found theInsurance Company of North America.
Fitzsimons died on August 26, 1811, in Philadelphia, where he was buried in the cemetery ofSt. Mary's Catholic Church.[6][14]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District Created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's at-large congressional district 1789–1791 alongside:George Clymer,Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg,Thomas Hartley,Thomas Scott,Henry Wynkoop,Daniel Hiester andPeter G. Muhlenberg 1791–1793 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
