Philip Pell (July 7, 1753 – May 1, 1811) was an American

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 ...

and lawyer from

Pelham Manor, New York Pelham Manor is an affluent village located in Westchester County, New York. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 5,752. It is located in the town of Pelham. History The Bolton Priory, Edgewood House, and Pelhamdale a ...

. He served in the New York State Assembly and as a delegate for New York to the

Confederation Congress The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

. Philip was born to the aristocratic Pell family, at the manor house in what is now Pelham. The family had established itself in the area in 1654 when Thomas Pell bought nearly 10,000 acres (40 km²) from the Indians. Thomas' nephew John, named the entire tract ''Pelham Manor'', and was viewed as the second lord of the manor. Philip was the third to have that name, and is sometimes known as Philip Pell Jr. or Philip Pell, III. Pell graduated from King's College (now

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1770. He read law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

and

. As the Revolutionary War began, he was a Lieutenant in the Westchester militia. His unit became part of the Continental Army in 1776. He served through 1779, when elected to the New York State Assembly. After one term in the Assembly, Pell rejoined the Continental Army, this time as a colonel. He served as Judge Advocate General from 1781 until 1783, and was a member of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's staff at the evacuation of the city of New York in 1783 when the British advanced on the city. After leaving the army again, Pell resumed his political career, serving once more in the State Assembly and then as a New York delegate to the final session of the

(1788–1789). When the confederation Congress met for the last time on March 2, 1789, two days before the federal government began operations under the new

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, Pell and the Congress' secretary were the only ones present. Their only action that day was to adjourn Congress ''

sine die In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is opp ...

''. An active and vocal

Anti-Federalist Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Con ...

who opposed the new frame of government, Pell subsequently withdrew from national and state politics. He did keep his local office as the surrogate for Westchester County until 1800. Philip died at Pelhamdale in Pelham Manor in 1811 and is buried the St. Paul's Churchyard, in what is now part of the City of Mount Vernon, a suburb of New York City.

External links

Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pell, Philip 1753 births 1811 deaths Continental Army officers from New York (state) Continental Congressmen from New York (state) 18th-century American politicians New York (state) lawyers People from Pelham, New York People from Pelham Manor, New York American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers Pell family