Nathaniel Scudder

Nathaniel Scudder (born May 10, 1733 in Huntington , New York Province, † October 17, 1781 in Shrewsbury , New Jersey ) was an American doctor and politician. He was a delegate for New Jersey to the Continental Congress , where he signed the Articles of Confederation .

Career

Scudder attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University ), where he graduated in 1751. He then studied medicine and then began practicing in Monmouth County, New Jersey. His house is now within the town of Freehold .

When the American Revolution split the colonies, he supported the rebel side. In his county he was a member of the Committee of Safety and represented it in 1774 at the provincial convention. In the same year he was appointed lieutenant colonel in the county's first militia regiment. Then he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1775 and 1776 , of which he was speaker in 1776.

Scudder was promoted to colonel in his militia regiment in 1777 and then sent as a delegate to the Continental Congress. During the summer of 1778 he was so busy that he had to give up his medical practice entirely. He then divided his time between Congress and the militia. In June he led his regiment at the Battle of Monmouth . He also wrote a number of passionate letters to local and state leaders to approve the Articles of Confederation. When the New Jersey legislature passed it in November, he confirmed it for his state in Congress.

In the next few years he continued his work as a politician and militia commander. Finally, on October 17, 1781, he led part of his regiment against a British army in search of something to eat and was killed in a skirmish near Shrewsbury. He was then buried in the Tennant Church Graveyard .

Scudder was the only member of the Continental Congress to die in a battle during the War of Independence .

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personal data
SURNAME	Scudder, Nathaniel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American doctor and politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 10, 1733
PLACE OF BIRTH	near Huntington , New York
DATE OF DEATH	October 17, 1781
Place of death	near Shrewsbury , New Jersey