William Few

William Few

William Few, Jr. (* 8. June 1748 in Province of Maryland , † 16 July 1828 in Beacon , New York ) was an American non-party politicians . Between 1780 and 1782 and between 1786 and 1788 he was a delegate for Georgia in the Continental Congress . From 1789 to 1793 he sat for the state of Georgia in the US Senate . Few was also a signatory to the US Constitution .

Early life and family

Few was born in northern Maryland to English immigrants. His parents were owners of a tobacco farm. Due to severe droughts, the Fews moved to the south of what is now the USA in 1750. They settled in Orange County , what is now North Carolina . Due to the lack of school education, Few taught himself law . From then on he worked as a lawyer.

Over time, Few's family developed a certain amount of wealth. You were one of Orange County's emerging politicians. In 1771 the family moved to Georgia.

War participation

Georgia established a regiment of volunteers in each county during the British-American War . Few was a member of the Richmond County regiment , with his brother Benjamin commanding the regiment. In the next few years, Few had few military tasks to do. He taught his neighbors and friends how to use guns just as he had learned from the North Carolina militia. In 1778 Few had to take action after all, because Georgia saw a serious threat from the British troops in what is now Florida . Over the next several months, Few took command of the Georgia militia, which suffered a few unsavory defeats. For health reasons, Few withdrew from active military career in 1779.

Statesman

Few gained his first political experience while still in the military. He was elected to the newly established Georgia House of Representatives in 1776 . As a result, he repeatedly took on important management positions in Georgia. In 1780 he was sent to the Continental Congress as a delegate to Georgia. In 1782 he was recalled to help build state structures in Georgia. In 1787, Few was sent to the Philadelphia Convention as one of the representatives of Georgia . Few eventually signed the newly created US Constitution. He campaigned for ratification by the individual states. After all states had ratified the constitution, Few was promptly sent on January 17, 1789 as one of two senators for Georgia in the new federal senate. The Senate classes were drawn between him and James Gunn . Few was drawn to class 2, which resulted in a four-year term; Gunn received grade 3 and served for 6 years. In 1793 he left the Senate. In 1794 he applied for the Senate seat of Gunn, but was clearly defeated.

From 1796 he served as a judge in Georgia for 3 years. In 1785 he was also involved in founding the University of Georgia . In 1799, Few moved to New York City for the sake of his wife . There he was elected to the New York State Assembly by his neighbors . He was also the inspector of New York prisons for 9 years.

Last years and death

Few died in Beacon at the age of 80. He left behind his wife Catherine Nicholson and 3 daughters. He was buried in Augusta , Georgia.

In Madison , Wisconsin , a street is named after him.

Web links

• William Few in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William Few in the database of Find a Grave (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ FEW, William, (1748-1828) , Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed November 25, 2019
2. ^ A New Nation Votes, Georgia 1794 U.S. Senate , January 11, 2012, accessed November 25, 2019