Thomas Lynch Jr. (August 5, 1749 – December 17, 1779) was a signer of 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

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 a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

. His father Thomas Lynch was a member of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

and had signed the 1774

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the Thirteen Colonies, American colonies, adopted by the First Continental Congress, which met inside Carpenters' Hall in Phi ...

. When he had to step down because of illness, Thomas Lynch Jr. was selected to fill his post.

Early life

Lynch Jr. was born at Hopsewee Plantation in Prince George Parish, Winyah, in what is now

Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

. He was the third child and first son of Thomas Lynch and his wife, Elizabeth (née Allston) Lynch. He had two older sisters, named Sabina and Esther, who were born in 1747 and 1748, respectively. Their mother was the daughter of William Allston and his wife,Esther LaBrosse de Marboeuf . Thomas Lynch was introduce to Elizabeth Allston during a ball held at the childhood home of John Drayton Sr., Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina. Also in attendance were prominent families such as the Middletons, Randolphs, and Rutledges. Lynch's grandfather was Jonas Lynch from the

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

ancestral line. The Lynch family were expelled from Ireland following their defeat in the Irish wars of William of Orange. Lynch Sr. had emigrated from Kent, England, to South Carolina. He served as a prominent figure in South Carolina politics, which contributed to his descendants' access to higher education and wealth. Hopseewee Plantation

Education

Lynch Jr. was schooled at the Indigo Society School in Georgetown, South Carolina. His parents sent him to England for higher studies. He received honors at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

. Lynch Jr. studied law and political philosophy at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in London. His father admired English education and encouraged him to remain in Great Britain to study law and the principles of the British constitution. After eight years away from America, Lynch Jr. returned to South Carolina in 1772. Although his father had dreamed of his being in law, Lynch Jr. decided to end his pursuit of that profession.

Marriage and family

Lynch Jr. married Elizabeth Shubrick on May 14, 1772. Following their marriage, the couple lived at Peach Tree Plantation, which was located near his homeland plantation. He enjoyed managing the cultivation of crops at the plantation, which was dependent on the labor of numerous enslaved African Americans. Lynch Jr. remained active in political affairs in his community. His father died from a stroke in December 1776. His widowed mother later married South Carolina Governor William Moultrie, another influential political figure. His sister Sabina Hope Lynch married James Hamilton, also of the planter class. One of their sons was James Hamilton Jr., who was elected as governor of South Carolina in 1830.

Career

Lynch was elected a member of the Provincial Congress on February 11, 1775. This committee was formed to prepare a plan of government and represent the people of South Carolina. Lynch served alongside

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American statesman, military officer and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United S ...

John Rutledge John Rutledge Jr. (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ...

, Charles Pinckney,

Henry Laurens Henry Laurens (December 8, 1792) was an American Founding Father, merchant, slave trader, and rice planter from South Carolina who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laur ...

, Christopher Gadsden, Rawlins Lowndes, Arthur Middleton, Henry Middleton, Thomas Bee, and Thomas Heyward Jr. in the Provincial Congress. The group formed the South Carolina constitution. Many people objected to the document. including the Continental Congress. It stood as a temporary constitution, as many believed there would be reconciliation with Great Britain. Lynch became a company commander in the First South Carolina regiment on June 12, 1775. He was commissioned by the Provincial Congress. After being appointed, he gathered men and led a march into Charlestown, South Carolina. Amid the march, he became very sick with a bilious fever which prevented him from continuing. When he recovered, he was unable to fulfill his position. During his recovery, he received news about his father's declining health. In the hope that he could manage his father's illness, Lynch asked his commanding officer, Colonel Christopher Gadsden, if he could travel to Philadelphia. His request was denied at first, but after receiving news of his election to the Continental Congress, he was allowed to travel to his father. On March 23, 1776, the General Assembly of South Carolina named Lynch Jr. to the Continental Congress as a sixth delegate. Although he was ill, Lynch Jr. traveled to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Lynch Sr. and Thomas Lynch Jr. were the only father and son to serve successively in the Continental Congress. Lynch Jr. was the second youngest delegate in the Continental Congress and filled in his father's place due to illness. The youngest signer, South Carolinian

Edward Rutledge Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an American Founding Father and politician who signed the Continental Association and was the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the 39th govern ...

, was younger by three months. Less than a month after signing the Declaration of Independence, Lynch Jr. threatened that South Carolina would secede from the United States; his threat expressed the interests of his constituents, the elite planter class. "If it is debated, whether their Slaves are their Property, there is an End of the Confederation." After signing the Declaration of Independence, an ill Thomas Lynch Jr. set out for home with his ailing father. On the way to South Carolina, his father suffered a second stroke. He died in

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, in December 1776. Thomas Lynch Jr. retired in early 1777.

Death

Lynch suffered for two more years of illness in South Carolina, where he resided with his wife at Peachtree Plantation on the South Santee River. Friends suggested that he travel to Europe in search for a different atmosphere. He and his wife sailed for respite on the brigantine ''Polly'' to St. Eustatius in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

on December 17, 1779. The ship is known to have disappeared shortly after. He and his wife were considered to have been lost at sea. At age 30, Lynch was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence to die.

Family estate

His will required that the heirs of his female relatives change their last name to Lynch in order to inherit a share of his family estate. At the time of his death, Thomas Lynch Jr. owned three plantations and held more than 250 enslaved African Americans, who were valued as personal property and part of the estate. His sister, Sabina, responded by changing her name and that of her descendants in order to inherit the estate. She and her husband owned and managed Peachtree Plantation until their son was of age. Their son, John Bowman Lynch, and his wife had three sons. Henry C. Lynch (1828-1843) died before reaching adulthood. Thomas B. Lynch (1821-1864) died in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. James (N.M.) Lynch (1822-1887) lived the longest. After Sabina Lynch died, the family estate passed to her youngest sister, Aimeé Constance Dé'Illiard Drayton. Thomas Lynch Jr. had specified that the estate should remain in the family.

Legacy

Lynch's birthplace was the Hopsewee Plantation. It is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1971. In his 1856 book, ''Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence'', Rev. Charles A Goodrich lauds Lynch "as a man of exalted views and exalted moral worth". Goodrich continues: "In all the relations of life, whether as a husband, a friend, a patriot, or the master of the slave, he appeared conscious of his obligations, and found his pleasure in discharging them." Autographs by Thomas Lynch Jr. are among the rarest by signers of the Declaration of Independence. His time in Congress lasted less than a year, and for much of this time he was in poor health. Only a single letter has survived, along with a few signatures on historical documents. Many of his autographs have scattered, and others were lost in a fire. Today, Lynch's autograph sells for as much as $250,000.

In popular culture

Lynch Jr. is played by Richard Bond in the 1938 film ''

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

''.

References

External links

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Hopsewee Plantation
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Thomas Jr. 1749 births 1770s missing person cases 1779 deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge American revolutionaries American people of Irish descent American slave owners Continental Congressmen from South Carolina Members of the Middle Temple People educated at Eton College People from Georgetown, South Carolina People lost at sea Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence Founding Fathers of the United States