Obituaries I – Notable Founding Fathers
“Founding Fathers” include a wide spectrum of early Americans who contributed to the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, the 1787 Constitution and the early years of self-government.
In the Chart below we look at some 60 Notable Founders, capturing for each their date of death, lifespan, cause of death and home states. Of particular note are those who shaped the theory of a nation run by the people and then the principles by which it became a reality. Thus:
a. Those responsible for drafting The Declaration of Independence:
- Thomas Jefferson
- John Adams
- Ben Franklin
- John Sherman
- Robert Livingston
b. The Committee on Detail defining the content in the 1787 Constitution:
- John Rutledge
- Oliver Ellsworth
- John Randolph
- Nathaniel Gorham
- Roger Wilson
c. The Committee on Style charged with drafting the Constitution:
- Gouverneur Morris
- James Madison
- Alexander Hamilton
- William Johnson
- Rufus King
d. The President’s Cabinet in 1789
- George Washington
- John Adams (VP)
- Thomas Jefferson (State)
- Alexander Hamilton (Treasury)
- Henry Knox (War)
- Edmund Randolph (AG)
Obituaries:
Notable Founding Fathers
| Name | Death | Age | Cause | Home State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton Randolph | Oct 22, 1775 | 54 | Stroke | Virginia |
| Caesar Rodney | June 29, 1784 | 55 | Asthma | Delaware |
| Charles DeWitt | Aug 27, 1787 | 60 | ? | New York |
| Ethan Allen | Feb 12, 1789 | 51 | Apoplexy | Connecticut |
| *Ben Franklin | April 17, 1790 | 84 | Pleuritis | Pennsylvania |
| William Livingston | July 25, 1790 | 66 | ? | New Jersey |
| George Mason | Oct 7, 1792 | 66 | Gout, pneumonia | Virginia |
| *Roger Sherman | July 23, 1793 | 72 | Typhoid fever | Connecticut |
| John Hancock | Oct 8, 1793 | 56 | ? | Massachusetts |
| Richard Henry Lee | June 19, 1794 | 62 | ? | Virginia |
| * Nathaniel Gorham | June 11, 1796 | 58 | ? | Massachusetts |
| Mad Anthony Wayne | Dec 15, 1796 | 51 | Possible poisoning | Georgia |
| James Duane | Feb 1, 1797 | 63 | ? | New York |
| *James Wilson | Aug 21, 1798 | 55 | Stroke | Pennsylvania |
| George Reed | Sept 21, 1798 | 65 | Heart failure | Delaware |
| Patrick Henry | June 6, 1799 | 63 | Intussusception | Virginia |
| *George Washington | Dec 14, 1799 | 67 | Epiglottitis | Virginia |
| Elijah Clarke | Dec 15, 1799 | 57 | ? | Georgia |
| *John Rutledge | July 18, 1800 | 60 | Mental illness | South Carolina |
| Rawlins Lowndes | Aug 24, 1800 | 79 | ? | South Carolina |
| Charles Pinckney | Aug 24, 1800 | 67 | Dropsy | South Carolina |
| John Blair Jr. | Aug 31, 1800 | 68 | ? | Virginia |
| Benedict Arnold | June 14, 1801 | 60 | Dropsy/edema | Connecticut |
| Samuel Adams | Oct 2, 1803 | 81 | Essential tremor | Massachusetts |
| *Alexander Hamilton | July 12, 1804 | 47 | Gunshot wound | New York |
| Phillip Schuyler | Nov 18, 1804 | 70 | Gout and pleurisy | New York |
| Robert Morris Jr. | May 8, 1806 | 72 | ? | Pennsylvania |
| George Wythe | June 8, 1806 | 80 | Poison suspected | Virginia |
| William Patterson | Sept 9, 1806 | 60 | Coach accidence | New Jersey |
| Henry Knox | Oct 25, 1806 | 56 | Swallows chicken bone/infection | Massachusetts |
| *Roger Sherman | Nov 26, 1807 | 72 | Typhoid fever | Connecticut |
| *Oliver Ellsworth | Nov 26, 1807 | 62 | ? | Connecticut |
| John Dickinson | Feb 14, 1808 | 75 | Skin cancer | Pennsylvania |
| Thomas Paine | June 8, 1809 | 72 | ? | Pennsylvania |
| George Clinton | April 20, 1812 | 72 | Heart attack | New York |
| George Clymer | Jan 23, 1813 | 73 | ? | Pennsylvania |
| Benjamin Rush | April 19, 1813 | 67 | Typhus fever | Pennsylvania |
| *Edmund Randolph | Sept 12, 1813 | 60 | Stroke | Virginia |
| Elbridge Gerry | Nov 23, 1814 | 70 | Heart attack | Massachusetts |
| *Robert R. Livingston | Feb 26, 1815 | 66 | Old age | New York |
| Charles Carroll | Dec 3, 1815 | 95 | Old age | Maryland |
| *Gouverneur Morris | Nov 6, 1816 | 64 | Urinary infection after self surgery | New York |
| Paul Revere | May 10, 1818 | 83 | Natural causes | Massachusetts |
| Charles C. Pinckney | Aug 16, 1825 | 79 | ? | South Carolina |
| *Thomas Jefferson | July 4, 1826 | 83 | Kidney failure | Virginia |
| *John Adams | July 4, 1826 | 90 | Old age/heart | Massachusetts |
| *Rufus King | July 4, 1826 | 72 | ? | Massachusetts |
| Luther Martin | July 8, 1826 | 78 | Stroke | Maryland |
| William Few | July 16, 1828 | 80 | ? | Georgia |
| John Jay | May 17, 1829 | 83 | Stroke/palsy | New York |
| James Monroe | July 4, 1831 | 73 | Tuberculosis | Virginia |
| John Randolph of Roanoke | May 24, 1833 | 59 | Tuberculosis | Virginia |
| *William Johnson | Aug 4, 1834 | 92 | Smallpox | Connecticut |
| Nathan Dane | Feb 15, 1835 | 82 | Old age | Massachusetts |
| John Marshall | July 6, 1835 | 79 | Bladder disease | Virginia |
| * James Madison | June 28, 1836 | 85 | Old age/heart | Virginia |
| Aaron Burr | Sept 14, 1836 | 80 | Stroke | New York |
Detailed biographies of the Founders yield hosts of facts ranging from the outrageous to the comical and the sad.
Ben Franklin alone signing all four landmark documents:
- Declaration of Independence
- Treaty of Alliance with France
- 1783 Peace Treaty with Britain
- the U.S. Constitution
> John Hancock’s lavish lifestyle tracing to his reputation as “king of smugglers.”
> George Washington wearing a wig made from his own hair.
> John Rutledge attempting suicide after learning that the Senate refused to confirm his appointment as Chief Justice of the Suprme Court.
> Benedict Arnold going from American hero to British spy over perceived promotional slight by his commanders and poor remuneration for war wounds.
> Robert Morris, Jr., once the richest man in America, losing his fortune in funding the Revolution and dying penniless in debtors prison.
> Elbridge Gerry refusing to sign the U.S. Constitution and crafting a congressional district that was shaped like a salamander.
> Gouverneur Morrison, principal author of the Constitution, dying from sepsis after performing urinary tract surgery on himself.
> Thomas Jefferson and John Adams dying within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.
> Sitting VP Aaron Burr killing Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel.