William Whipple | |
|---|---|
 1897 portrait of Whipple byWalter Gilman Page | |
| Born | (1731-01-14)January 14, 1731 |
| Died | November 28, 1785(1785-11-28) (aged 54) New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | Continental Army New Hampshire Militia |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | New Hampshire Militia (Bellow's Regiment of Militia,Chase's Regiment of Militia,Moore's Regiment of Militia,Welch's Regiment of Militia) |
| Conflicts | |
| Spouse | Catherine Moffat Whipple |
| Signature |  |
William Whipple Jr. (January 25, 1731NS [January 14, 1730OS] – November 28, 1785) was an AmericanFounding Father and signatory of theUnited States Declaration of Independence. He representedNew Hampshire as a member of theContinental Congress from 1776 through 1779.[1] He worked as both a ship's captain and a merchant, and he studied in college to become a judge. He died of heart complications in 1785, aged 55.[1]
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Whipple was born inKittery in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay (nowMaine)[3] in theWilliam Whipple House to Captain William Whipple Sr. and his wife Mary (née Cutt).[4] He was educated at a common school until he went off to sea, where he became a ship's master at age 21.[5][6] He married his first cousin Catherine Moffat in 1767,[5] and they moved into theMoffatt-Ladd House on Market Street inPortsmouth in 1769.[7][5] Their son William Whipple III died in infancy.[6] Whipple was a descendant ofSamuel Appleton, early settler inIpswich, Massachusetts.[8]
Whipple earned his fortune participating in thetriangular trade between North America, the West Indies, and Africa, dealing in wood, rum, and enslaved people.[5][9][10][6] He established himself as a merchant in Portsmouth in 1759, in partnership with his brother Joseph.[11]
In 1775, New Hampshire dissolved the British Royal government and organized a House of Representatives and an Executive Council known collectively as aProvincial Congress. Whipple was elected to represent Portsmouth.[12] He became a member of theCommittee of Safety. He was then elected to the Continental Congress and signed the United StatesDeclaration of Independence. He was the second cousin of fellow signatoryStephen Hopkins.[4] In January 1776, Whipple wrote to fellow signatoryJosiah Bartlett of the approaching convention:
This year, my Friend, is big with mighty events. Nothing less than the fate of America depends on the virtue of her sons, and if they do not have virtue enough to support the most Glorious Cause ever human beings were engaged in, they don't deserve the blessings of freedom.[5]
Whipple freed his enslaved servant,Prince Whipple,[13] believing that no man could fight for freedom and hold another in bondage.[7] He wrote:
A recommendation is gone thither for raising some regiments of Blacks. This, I suppose will lay a foundation for theemancipation of those wretches in that country. I hope it will be the means of dispensing the blessings of Freedom to all the human race in America.[6]
The New Hampshire Provincial Congress gave Whipple his first commission in 1777. His enslaved servantPrince Whipple joined him, but challenged his position as a slave.[14] Prince argued with William saying "You are going to fight for yourLiberty, but I have none to fight for."[15] William offered Prince his freedom if he continued his military service. Prince agreed and by the end of the war, William ended Prince's servitude and granted his freedom, according to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, town records.[16]
AtSaratoga, Whipple commanded a brigade of four militia regiments. Whipple commandedBellow's regiment,Chase's regiment,Moore's regiment, andWelch's regiment. As a result of their meritorious conduct at theBattle of Saratoga, Whipple and ColonelJames Wilkinson were then chosen by Major GeneralHoratio Gates to determine terms of capitulation with two representatives of GeneralJohn Burgoyne. Whipple then signed theConvention of Saratoga, the effective surrender of General Burgoyne and his troops.[17]
Whipple was then appointed along with several other officers to escort Burgoyne and his army back toWinter Hill, Somerville, Massachusetts. Whipple passed the news of the victory at Saratoga to CaptainJohn Paul Jones, who informedBenjamin Franklin, who was in Paris at the time. News of the victory proved valuable to Franklin throughout alliance negotiations with theFrench. In 1778, Whipple followed his commanding officer,General John Sullivan to theBattle of Rhode Island, where he commandedEvans' regiment,Peabody's regiment, andLangdon's light horse regiment. After General Sullivan ordered a retreat, Whipple and other officers resided in a house near the battlefield. The approaching enemy fired afield piece from a range of three-quarters of a mile. The shot tore through a horse lashed outside the house and severely wounded the leg of one of Whipple's brigade majors, which later required amputation.[18]
After the Revolution, Whipple became an associate justice of theSuperior Court of New Hampshire. On November 28, 1785, he suffered from a heart ailment and died after fainting from atop his horse while traveling his court circuit. He was buried in what is now theOld North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[19] His headstone was replaced with a new memorial in 1976 in conjunction with theUnited States Bicentennial.[citation needed]
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