This article is part of the America 250 Brown County Committee’s series on The Declaration of Independence and The Revolutionary War.

Pennsylvania was entitled to seven delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress. When Congress convened five of the seven were against Independence. Congressional leaders wanted all the colonies to approve the resolution for Independence. John Morton was the delegate that brought the Pennsylvania delegation to the “yes” column.

Morton was born on a farm about 1724. His stepfather provided him an education and also taught him to be a surveyor, which he practiced his entire life.

He served eighteen years in the Pennsylvania Legislature including the state’s Royal Government, ultimately serving as

Speaker of the House. Signer Benjamin Rush wrote that ”Morton was a plain farmer but was well versed in government andpublic policy.”

Of the seven delegates, Morton was on the fence, Benjamin Franklin was a certain vote for Independence, John Dickerson, a Quaker like many of his neighbors was against Independence. Morton’s problem was his constituents were

Loyalists and Quakers who were against Independence. James Wilson was also solid for Independence. A total of four delegates were against the resolution, two were for. When the vote came, Robert Morris, another naysayer, and John Dickerson disappeared and did not vote leaving two to vote ”no” and two to vote “yes”. Morton voted “yes”, broke the tie, and

put Pennsylvania in the “ yes” column. The delegates all signed the Declaration. His friends and neighbors were not happy. Nine months after he signed he became deathly ill and on his death bed dictated a message to those who disagreed with his vote, “ Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service I ever renderedto my country.”

He died at age 56, the first of the signers to die.