Thomas Wharton Junior

Thomas Wharton junior (born 1735 in Chester County , Province of Pennsylvania , † May 23, 1778 in Lancaster , Pennsylvania) was an American politician . Between 1777 and 1778 he was the first president of Pennsylvania.

Career

Thomas Wharton was a cousin of Samuel Wharton (1732-1800) who was a delegate in the Continental Congress . His exact date of birth and his exact place of birth are unknown. Born into a Quaker family during the British colonial era , he became a successful trader and merchant. Wharton joined the American Independence Movement very early on and became a member and chairman of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety . This committee was also responsible for drafting the first Pennsylvania constitution. This constitution was adopted on September 28, 1776 and provided for a twelve-member government council, the chairman of which was "President of Pennsylvania". This office corresponded to the later office of the governor .

On March 5, 1777, Wharton was officially elected to this office. In fact, he had been head of state of Pennsylvania since August 6, 1776, the day he became chairman of the security committee. (Before the Constitution of the United States came into force in 1788, the 13 colonies were independent states, although they were planning a confederation.) Thomas Wharton held office until his death in May 1778. His entire term in office was overshadowed by the events of the Revolutionary War . At that time the British penetrated as far as Philadelphia and the continental congress held there had to flee. The Pennsylvania state council, headed by Wharton, also left the city and fled to Lancaster. Wharton died there in May 1778. He was buried with a state funeral with full military honors. Then his deputy George Bryan took over his office.

Thomas Wharton was married twice and had a total of eight children. He lived on an estate called "Twickenham" in Montgomery County .

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personal data
SURNAME	Wharton, Thomas Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	1735
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chester County , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH	May 23, 1778
Place of death	Lancaster , Pennsylvania