William Moore (c. 1735 – July 24, 1793) was a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

of the

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

era. He served as

Vice-President of Pennsylvania The Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the collective directorial executive branch of the Pennsylvanian state government between 1777 and 1790. It was headed by a president and a vice president (analogous to a gov ...

from 1779 to 1781, and then as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

from 1781 to 1782. (The positions of President and vice-president of Pennsylvania are analogous to the modern offices of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, respectively). Moore was the only man formally elected to both offices. He was also a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

state legislator A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

, director of the

Bank of Pennsylvania The Bank of Pennsylvania was established on July 17, 1780, by Philadelphia merchants to provide funds for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Its investors included George Meade & Co., with a £2,000 payment. Within a yea ...

and

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Early life and family

William Moore was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

. He was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Moore. Like his father, William became a successful merchant. In 1757 he married Sarah Lloyd, a member of one of Philadelphia's oldest and most powerful families. William and Sarah had at least one son. A daughter, Elizabeth married the French diplomat,

François Barbé-Marbois François Barbé-Marbois, marquis de Barbé-Marbois (31 January 1745 – 12 February 1837) was a French politician. Early career Born in Metz, where his father was director of the local mint, Barbé-Marbois tutored the children of the Marquis d ...

(1745–1837), in Philadelphia June 17, 1784.

Political life

Moore supported colonists' protests against the Stamp Act, imposed upon the American colonies by

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1765, but did not embrace some of the more radical ideas of the early Revolutionaries. It was only after his sixteen-year-old son joined the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

's 1776

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

campaign that William embraced the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. Nonetheless, his reputation as a moderate brought him support from sometimes opposing political factions. In 1776 Moore was appointed to the

Council of Safety In the American Revolution, committees of correspondence, committees of inspection (also known as committees of observation), and committees of safety were different local committees of Patriots that became a shadow government; they took control ...

, which governed the State in the early days of the Revolution. The following year he was appointed to the Board of War. In 1778 he was elected to 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. ...

but declined to serve, preferring a seat on the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. He became vice-president of the Council on November 11, 1779, defeating James Read. He was reelected November 14, 1780, garnering fifty three of the sixty votes cast and easily defeating James Potter and John Lacey. His second Vice-Presidential term expired November 14, 1781. On that day he was elected the fourth President of the Supreme Executive Council. Moore received sixty four of the sixty seven votes cast, easily defeating James Ewing, James Potter, and John Lacey, each of whom received a single vote. (Potter ''was'' elected to the Vice-Presidency that day, and would be succeeded by Ewing in 1782.) While most Presidents and Vice-Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania took office immediately upon their election, Moore did not take the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

until the following day and did not begin his presidency until November 15. Moore served a single term as president, holding office through November 7, 1782. He was the only vice-president of Pennsylvania to be formally elected to the Presidency of the State. (Although George Bryan today is recognized as a former Governor of Pennsylvania he was never actually elected or elevated to the Presidency and was not addressed as such during his time in office.)

Later roles

As Vice-President, and then President of Pennsylvania, Moore served as an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' member of the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the

, and as President of the Board from 1781 to 1782. After leaving the Presidency he served as an elected Trustee until 1789. In 1783 Moore was commissioned a

of the Court of Errors and Appeals. In 1784 he was elected to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. In that same year he became a director of the Bank of Pennsylvania.

Death

William Moore died in Philadelphia on July 24, 1793.

References

University of Pennsylvania
biography o

National Governors Association
biography o
William Moore

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
listing o
prior governors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, William 1735 births 1793 deaths Governors of Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governors of Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution Pennsylvania state court judges University of Pennsylvania people People of colonial Pennsylvania Colonial American merchants