Andrew McNair is best known for being the custodian who served the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. A member of the Masonic Order, he served as official ringer of the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

from 1759 to 1776, and he likely rang it to announce independence, on July 8, 1776 (the announcement was delayed four days to allow the Declaration of Independence to be printed). His services were terminated September 15, 1776, upon his death. There are no records of where he was buried. The records of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

record that on March 22, 1768, the Society contracted McNair to make the fires, light and extinguish candles, and keep its meeting room clean, for four shillings a night. McNair was played in the play and movie ''1776'' by William Duell. In his poem, "The Liberty Bell,"

Charles Brockden Brown Charles Brockden Brown (January 17, 1771 – February 22, 1810) was an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period. He is generally regarded by scholars as the most important American novelist before James Fenimore C ...

describes McNair, not by name as follows:

Far aloft in that high steeple, Sat the bellman, old and gray. He was weary of the tyrant And his iron-sceptered way.

In 2006, McNair's descendant, Edward McNair, offered a ring on eBay made from metal Andrew McNair had supposedly broken from the Liberty Bell (with a "buy it now" price of $75,000). After the chief caretaker of the Bell opined that Andrew McNair could not have done so, the ring was withdrawn from sale.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNair, Andrew 18th-century American people Bellringers People from Philadelphia People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution