Tench Francis (? probably in Philadelphia – 16 August 1758) was a prominent lawyer and jurist in colonial

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Early life

Francis was the son of Rev. John Francis, Dean of Linsmore and Rector of St. Mary's Church in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland.

Career

Maryland

Sometime before 1720, after studying law in London, he moved to America as an attorney for Lord Baltimore. In

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in ...

, he opened a law office. From 1726 to 1734 he was clerk of Talbot County Court before being elected for a three-year term as legislative representative for Talbot County.

Pennsylvania

He later settled in

, where he was attorney-general of Pennsylvania, succeeding Andrew Hamilton, from 1741 to 1755, and recorder of Philadelphia from 1750 to 1755. He was a founding trustee of the college, academy, and Charitable Schools of Philadelphia (which became the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

), and he sent his sons Philip and Turbutt there to study.

Personal life

In 1724, he married Elizabeth Turbutt. Together, they had: * Rachel Francis, who married John Retfe *

Turbutt Francis Colonel Turbutt Francis (1740 in Philadelphia – before 1797 in Pennsylvania), was an officer in the Pennsylvania Troops during Pontiac's War. Early life Turbutt Francis was the son of Elizabeth Turbutt and Tench Francis, Sr. Career He served ...

, who married Sarah Mifflin; later their descendants dropped the surname Francis and used the name Mifflin * Philip Francis, who married Henrietta Maria Goldsborough, who were the grandparents of

Philip Francis Thomas Philip Francis Thomas (September 12, 1810 – October 2, 1890) was an American lawyer and politician. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates, was the 28th Governor of Maryland from 1848 to 1851, and was Comptroller of Maryland from 1851 t ...

* Ann Francis, who married James Tilghman, who were the parents of

Tench Tilghman Tench Tilghman (, December 25, 1744April 18, 1786) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as an aide-de-camp to General (United States), General George Washington, achieving the Military rank, rank ...

, who became an aide to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

* Mary Francis, who married William Coxe, who were the parents of

Tench Coxe Tench Coxe (May 22, 1755July 17, 1824) was an American political economist and a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1788–1789. He wrote under the pseudonym "A Pennsylvanian," and was known to his political enemies as ...

, a delegate from Pennsylvania to the last

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

* Elizabeth Francis, who married John Lawrence * Margaret Francis, who married Chief Justice

Edward Shippen Edward Shippen (1639 – October 2, 1712) was the second mayor of Philadelphia, although under William Penn's charter of 1701, he was considered the first. Early life Edward was born in Methley, West Yorkshire, to William and Mary, who were ma ...

IV, whose daughter married

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

Tench Francis Jr. Tench Francis Jr. (1731–1800) was an American merchant, lawyer and agent for the family of William Penn and the first cashier of the Bank of North America. Early life Francis was born the son of Elizabeth Turbutt and Tench Francis Sr., a p ...

, who became a prominent merchant and financier in Philadelphia; married Ann Willing Francis, daughter of Philadelphia mayor

Charles Willing Charles Willing (May 18, 1710 – November 30, 1754) was an English-born merchant and politician who twice served as the mayor of Philadelphia, from 1748 until 1749 and again in 1754. Early life Charles Willing was born in Bristol, Somers ...

and Anne Nancy Shippen (1710–1791) nne Nancy [ShippenFrancis was the granddaughter of Philadelphia Mayor Edward Shippen">hippen.html" ;"title="nne Nancy [Shippen">nne Nancy [ShippenFrancis was the granddaughter of Philadelphia Mayor Edward Shippen and aunt to

IV.} Anne [Willing] Francis was also the sister Mary Willing the second wife of William Byrd III Tench Francis died in Philadelphia in 1758.His Philadelphia estate records August 19, 1758 book L:141 mention Wife: Elizabeth. Children: Rachel, Turbutt, Philip, Anne, Mary, Elizabeth, Margaret and Tench.

References

External links

Portrait of Francis
by

Robert Feke Robert Feke () was an American portrait painter born in Oyster Bay, New York. According to art historian Richard Saunders, "Feke's impact on the development of Colonial painting was substantial, and his pictures set a new standard by which the ...

in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Tench Sr. 1758 deaths 19th-century Irish lawyers Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Lawyers from Philadelphia People from colonial New Jersey People from colonial Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania people Year of birth missing