Lyman Hall (April 12, 1724 – October 19, 1790) was an American Founding Father, physician, clergyman, and statesman who signed the

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

as a representative of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Hall County is named after him. He was one of four physicians to sign the Declaration, along with

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...

, Josiah Bartlett, and Matthew Thornton.

Early life and family

Hall was born on April 12, 1724, in

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part ...

. He was the son of John Hall, a minister, and Mary (née Street) Hall, daughter of Rev. Samuel Street. He studied with his uncle Samuel Hall and graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1747, a tradition in his family. He was a nephew of Anne Law, daughter of Gov. Jonathan Law, cousin of Dr. William Brenton Hall, and a grandnephew of Capt. Theophilus Yale of the Yale family. In 1749, he was called to the pulpit of Stratfield Parish (now

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

). His pastorate was a stormy one: an outspoken group of parishioners opposed his ordination; in 1751, he was dismissed after charges against his moral character which, according to one biography, "Were supported by proof and also by his own confession." He continued to preach for two more years, filling vacant pulpits, while he studied medicine and taught school. In 1752, he married Abigail Burr of

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...

; she died the following year. In 1757, he married Mary Osborne. He migrated to

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and established himself as a physician at Dorchester, South Carolina, near Charleston, a community settled by Congregationalist migrants from

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

, decades earlier. When these settlers moved to the Midway Districtnow Liberty Countyin Georgia, Hall accompanied them. Hall soon became one of the leading citizens of the newly founded town of Sunbury.

Revolutionary War

On the eve of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, St. John's Parish, in which Sunbury was located, was a hotbed of radical sentiment in a predominantly

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

colony. Though Georgia was not initially represented in the

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...

, through Hall's influence the parish was persuaded to send a delegate to Philadelphia to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...

. Hall was delegated and was admitted to a seat in the Congress in 1775. He was one of the three Georgians and one of four doctors to sign the document of Independence. In January 1779, Sunbury was burned by the British. Hall's family fled to the North, where they remained until the British evacuation in 1782. Hall then returned to Georgia, settling in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

. In January 1783, he was elected

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the statea position that he held for one year. While governor, Hall advocated the chartering of a state university, believing that education, particularly religious education, would result in a more virtuous citizenry. His efforts led to the chartering of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 1785. At the expiration of his term as governor, he resumed his medical practice.

Death and legacy

In 1790, Hall moved to a plantation in

Burke County, Georgia Burke County is a county located along the eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia in the Piedmont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,596. The county seat is Waynesboro. Burke County is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, G ...

, on the South Carolina border, where he died on October 19 at the age of 66. Hall's widow died in November 1793. Lyman Hall is memorialized in Georgia where

Hall County, Georgia Hall County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 203,136, up from 179,684 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Gainesville. The entirety of Hall County comprises the G ...

, bears his name; and in Connecticut, his native state, where the town of Wallingford honored him by naming a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

after its distinguished native son. Elementary schools in

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville, Georgia, Hinesville. Liberty Coun ...

, and in Hall County, Georgia, are also named for him. Signers Monument, a granite obelisk in front of the courthouse in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, memorializes Hall along with

Button Gwinnett Button Gwinnett ( ; March 3, 1735 – May 19, 1777) was a British-born American Founding Father who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was one of the signers (first signature on the left) of the United States Declaration ...

and George Walton as Georgians who signed the Declaration of Independence. His remains were re-interred there in 1848 after being exhumed from his original grave on his plantation in Burke County.

Notes

References

* * * (American Council of Learned Societies) * * *

External links

*
Lyman Hall, The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceLyman Hall
historical marker {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Lyman 1724 births 1790 deaths Continental Congressmen from Georgia (U.S. state) Governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence American people of English descent People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Revolution People from Wallingford, Connecticut Yale University alumni Yale family University of Georgia American Congregationalists American slave owners Independent state governors of the United States Georgia (U.S. state) independents People from Liberty County, Georgia Physicians from Connecticut Physicians from Georgia (U.S. state) 18th-century American physicians Founding Fathers of the United States