John Read (July 7, 1769,

Newcastle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Castle constitutes part o ...

- July 13, 1854,

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

) was a lawyer and banker in the early history of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Biography

John Read was a son of U.S. statesman George Read, brother of

George Read Jr. George Read Jr. (August 29, 1765 – September 3, 1836) was an American lawyer who served as the first U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. The son of one of the nation's founding fathers, Read made numerous attempts at higher political ...

, and uncle of George Read III. He graduated from

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

in 1787, and then studied law with his father. In 1789, he moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he was admitted to the bar in 1792. In 1796, he married Martha Meredith. They had five children. Their son John M. Read was a noted Philadelphia jurist. In 1797, John Read was appointed by President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

as agent general of the United States under the sixth article of

Jay's Treaty The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Kingdom of Great Britain, ...

, and held that office until its expiration in 1809. From 1809 to 1815, Read was a member of the city council of Philadelphia; he then served in the

Pennsylvania legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

, and in 1816 chairman of its celebrated committee of seventeen. Read succeeded Nicholas Biddle in the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...

in 1816, was state director of the Philadelphia Bank in 1817, and succeeding his wife's uncle,

George Clymer George Clymer (March 16, 1739January 23, 1813) was an American politician, abolitionist and Founding Father of the United States, one of only six founders who signed both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Clymer was amon ...

, as president of that bank in 1819, he filled that post until 1841, when he resigned. He was prominent in the councils of the Episcopal Church. During the yellow-fever plague in Philadelphia in 1793, Read and

Stephen Girard Stephen Girard (born Étienne Girard; May 20, 1750 – December 26, 1831) was a French-born American banker and philanthropist. Born in Bordeaux, Girard subsequently immigrated to the Thirteen Colonies where he established himself in the Banking ...

remained in the city, and he opened his purse and exposed his life in behalf of his suffering fellow citizens. Read was the author of ''Arguments on the British Debts'' (Philadelphia, 1798).

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Read, John 1769 births 1854 deaths American bankers Princeton University alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians Pennsylvania state senators Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Philadelphia People from New Castle, Delaware People from colonial Delaware 19th-century American lawyers