Josiah Bartlett

Bartlett, Josiah, 1729-95, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Amesbury, Mass. He practiced medicine in Kingston, N.H., and was a delegate to the provincial assembly (1765-75) and the provincial congress (1775) before serving in the Continental Congress (1775-76; 1778). He returned to New Hampshire, held judicial posts, including the chief justiceship of New Hampshire (1788-90), advocated (1788) the adoption of the federal Constitution, and was chief executive of the state (1790-94). Bartlett, N.H., is named for him.