Gunning Bedford, Jr.

Gunning Bedford, Jr.

Gunning Bedford, Jr. (born 1747 in Philadelphia , Province of Pennsylvania , † March 30, 1812 in Wilmington , Delaware ) was a politician, lawyer and one of the founding fathers of the United States .

Gunning Bedford was the main campaigner for the rights of small states. His experience in local politics combined with his work in the Continental Congress taught him much about the political and economic vulnerability of states like Delaware . Unlike some other small state representatives who wanted the formation of a strong central government to protect their interests against stronger neighbors, Bedford sought to limit the power of the new government. However, when the conflict over representation threatened to blow up the constitutional convention , he put local interests aside and sought compromises for the good of the country.

Career before the Constitutional Convention

Bedford's family could trace its roots back to the founding of Jamestown , Virginia . He was a cousin of Colonel Gunning Bedford, an American Revolutionary War hero and Delaware politician , with whom he is often confused.

Bedford attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University ), where he met with James Madison a room shared. After graduating in 1771, he studied law with George Read , an influential politician with ties to Pennsylvania and Delaware who will also sign the United States Constitution . Little is known of Bedford's early career until he opened a legal practice in Dover and then Wilmington during the final years of the American independence movement . He sat briefly on the Delaware legislature in the early post-war period and represented the state in the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1785. He also served as the Delaware Attorney General from 1784 to 1789 . Although selected to represent the state at the Annapolis Congress in 1786, Bedford was among the delegates who missed the meetings of this brief meeting. Testimony says he shared Congress's concerns over the political and economic problems associated with the Articles of Confederation - a concern that led Annapolis delegates to convene what became known as the Constitutional Congress .

Contributions to the constitutional congress

Primarily concerned about the threat to the small states in a confederation that might be ruled by powerful, heavily populated neighbors, Bedford fiery warned delegates in Philadelphia that the small states must seek alliances with foreign partners for their own protection. First, he joined those who only wanted to improve the articles of the Confederation, believing, as one delegate put it, that “ there is no middle course between full incorporation [of states into a nation] and a mere confederation of states ]. The first is out of the question and the second they must continue as not quite the same sovereigns. “However, when the idea of ​​drafting a new constitution was accepted, he backed the New Jersey Plan, a system that provided equal representation for states in the national legislative assembly, a point on which the Delaware legislative assembly does not have delegates Compromise. Bedford advocated severe limits on executive power and proposed measures that would give states tight control over national lawmakers and courts, including a list of federal judges by state lawmakers.

Bedford's speeches in support of these ideas led Delegate William Pierce from Georgia to describe him as a "distinctive" speaker with a "very commanding and aggressive nature" but "warm and impulsive temperament and rash judgment." Realizing that the Congressional sessions would put the federal government at risk for relentlessly adhering to his positions, Bedford took a more flexible position. He agreed to sit on the committee that drafted the Great Compromise, settled the thorny issue of representation, and enabled Congress to approve the new draft government.

Career after the Constitutional Congress

Bedford was a delegate to the Delaware Ratification Congress. Thanks to his efforts along with John Dickinson , Richard Bassett, and others, Delaware became the first state to ratify the constitution. After his departure from the post of Attorney General of Delaware in 1789, he served in the same year and again in 1793 as a presidential elector, both times voting for George Washington . He was also a member of the Delaware Senate in 1788 . Widely respected for his legal expertise, Bedford was asked by George Read and Richard Bassett, Delaware Senators and co-signatories, to consider a bill that was being considered for organizing the federal legal system. Bedford praised the document that became the Judicial Act in 1789 , one of the most important work of the Legislative Assembly of the time, as "great work," but also raised some concerns. He admitted that general US law was difficult to establish. “ Still; "He demanded," America's honor requires that it [a stipulation] be made clear and that when we put someone under the law, that it is the law of their own country. If the principles of the law of any other country are good and worth adopting, then they should be incorporated into its own law. ”He believed that the ratification of the constitution was a“ moment of legal emancipation ”to be declared that “just as the foundation is built, the superstructure must be built ”. In September 1789, George Washington selected Bedford as a judge in the federal district court for Delaware, a position he held until his death.

Bedford never lost interest in his home parish. Believing that the establishment of schools “is undoubtedly a priority ”, he worked to improve education in Wilmington. He was president of the board of directors of Wilmington Academy, and when that institution became Wilmington College, he became its first president.

Web links

• Biography in the US Army (English)
• Gunning Bedford, Jr. in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)