Edward Biddle (1738–1779) was an American soldier, lawyer, and statesman from

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, ...

. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775 and a signatory to the

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against ...

, which was drafted and adopted by that Congress. On June 6, 1761, Edward married Elizabeth Ross, the sister of George Ross. After the war he read law in the offices of her brother. By 1767 he had been admitted to the bar, and the couple moved to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

where he began his practice. Although the couple had no children, they both came from large families.

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

who gained fame as the seamstress of the first American flag was the wife of her nephew. He was the uncle of Congressman

Richard Biddle Richard Biddle (March 25, 1796 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – July 6, 1847 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American author and politician. Richard Biddle received a classical education, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1 ...

and financier

Nicholas Biddle Nicholas Biddle (January 8, 1786February 27, 1844) was an American financier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States (chartered 1816–1836). Throughout his life Biddle worked as an editor, diplomat, au ...

Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly

In 1767, Biddle began his career in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly as a representative for

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

. He served there until the colonial assembly went out of business during 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 ...

. While a representative, in 1768 he was elected to 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 ...

.Bell, Whitfield J., and Charles Greifenstein, Jr. Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society. 3 vols. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1997, 2:280–283. He was also a member of the rebel provincial congress and later the state

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 presb ...

until 1778. He was a leader within that body of the Whig or radical group in the struggle to set Pennsylvania's course in the revolution. In 1774, Pennsylvania was divided about the looming revolution. The loyalists and the supporters of the Penn family in the Assembly were joined by the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

who opposed any war. As a result, in July, the Assembly sent a split delegation to the Continental Congress:

Joseph Galloway Joseph Galloway (1731August 29, 1803) was an American attorney and a leading political figure in the events immediately preceding the founding of the United States in the late 1700s. As a staunch opponent of American independence, he would bec ...

Charles Humphreys Charles Humphreys (September 19, 1714 – March 11, 1786) was a signatory to the Continental Association while representing Pennsylvania in the First Continental Congress. He was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and was a slave owner, miller, ...

, and Samuel Rhoads were all moderates, while Biddle,

Thomas Mifflin Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution. Mifflin wa ...

, John Morton, and George Ross were radicals. That first Continental Congress produced a statement or Declaration of Rights, as well as a plan of union and pleas to King George to resolve the issues that separated the colonies from

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 i ...

. They also produced a renewal of the

, the non-importation agreement adopted in the wake of the Stamp Act protests. Biddle was a member of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Rights and later oversaw the printing of the resolutions the Congress had passed. Early in 1775, Governor John Penn called the Assembly into session, intent on having Pennsylvania send its own declarations to the crown. These would be based on the Galloway Plan that had been rejected by the Continental Congress, and would try to reconcile Pennsylvania with the British government. But the legislature mirrored the growing split within the colonies. The Whigs, led by Biddle, Ross and

John Dickinson John Dickinson (November 13 Julian_calendar">/nowiki>Julian_calendar_November_2.html" ;"title="Julian_calendar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Julian calendar">/nowiki>Julian calendar November 2">Julian_calendar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Julian calendar" ...

won the day. Biddle was elected speaker, replacing Galloway who had held the post the previous year. The actions of the Continental Congress were approved, and a more radical delegation was named to the next Congress. Biddle died in Chatsworth, Baltimore County, Maryland on September 5, 1779. He is buried in St. Pauls Churchyard in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

References

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The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddle, Edward 1738 births 1779 deaths Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania 18th-century American politicians American people of English descent Members of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers People of Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War Edward People of colonial Pennsylvania American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Burials in Maryland Signers of the Continental Association