Josiah Bartlett
Physician Josiah Bartlett carried New Hampshire into the Continental Congress in 1775-1776, signed the Declaration, and later helped lead the state as chief justice and governor.
Born November 21, 1729 / Died May 19, 1795
On November 21, 1729, in Amesbury, Province of Massachusetts Bay, Josiah Bartlett was born before moving to Kingston, New Hampshire, as a young doctor. He trained in medicine by apprenticeship, built a respected practice, and entered provincial politics through local committees and the assembly. New Hampshire's early resistance movement made him one of the colony's best-known Patriot physicians.
Bartlett served in the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, reportedly voting early in the roll call of colonies. After the war he remained central to New Hampshire public life, serving as chief justice and then as governor in the 1790s. His career moved from wartime resistance to the institutional consolidation of state government.
Bartlett's public service connected the Declaration to New Hampshire's courts, executive office, and ratification culture in the federal era. His example also reinforced the visible role of physicians in Revolutionary politics and early republican governance.
Key Contributions
- Josiah Bartlett was an American Founding Father, physician, statesman, a delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire, and a signatory to the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation.
- As one of New Hampshire's delegates, Josiah helped tie New Hampshire to the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and to the new republican order that followed.
- On July 4, 1776, Josiah Bartlett signed the Declaration of Independence as part of the political leadership tied to New Hampshire.
Related Events
Declaration of Independence adopted
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and ordered the document printed as the public case for separation.
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