1. William Whipple represented New Hampshire as a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 through 1779.
21 Facts About William Whipple
1. 2.
William Whipple worked as both a ship's captain and a merchant, and he studied in college to become a judge.
3.
William Whipple died of heart complications in 1785, aged 55.
4.
William Whipple was educated at a common school until he went off to sea, where he became a ship's master at age 21.
5.
William Whipple married his first cousin Catherine Moffat in 1767, and they moved into the Moffatt-Ladd House on Market Street in Portsmouth in 1769.
6.
William Whipple earned his fortune participating in the triangular trade between North America, the West Indies, and Africa, dealing in wood, rum, and enslaved people.
7.
William Whipple established himself as a merchant in Portsmouth in 1759, in partnership with his brother Joseph.
8.
William Whipple became a member of the Committee of Safety.
9.
William Whipple was then elected to the Continental Congress and signed the United States Declaration of Independence.
10.
William Whipple was the second cousin of fellow signatory Stephen Hopkins.
11.
William Whipple freed his enslaved servant, Prince William Whipple, believing that no man could fight for freedom and hold another in bondage.
12.
William Whipple's enslaved servant Prince Whipple joined him, but challenged his position as a slave.
13.
Prince agreed and by the end of the war, William Whipple ended Prince's servitude and granted his freedom.
14.
At Saratoga, William Whipple commanded a brigade of four militia regiments.
15.
William Whipple commanded Bellow's regiment, Chase's regiment, Moore's regiment, and Welch's regiment.
16.
William Whipple then signed the Convention of Saratoga, the effective surrender of General Burgoyne and his troops.
17.
William Whipple was then appointed along with several other officers to escort Burgoyne and his army back to Winter Hill, Somerville, Massachusetts.
18.
William Whipple passed the news of the victory at Saratoga to Captain John Paul Jones, who informed Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris at the time.
19.
In 1778, William Whipple followed his commanding officer, General John Sullivan to the Battle of Rhode Island, where he commanded Evans' regiment, Peabody's regiment, and Langdon's light horse regiment.
20.
William Whipple was buried in what is the North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
21.
William Whipple's headstone was replaced with a new memorial in 1976 in conjunction with the United States Bicentennial.