John RUTLEDGE, Congress, SC (1739-1800)
RUTLEDGE, John, (brother of Edward Rutledge and father of John Rutledge, Jr.), a Delegate from South Carolina; born in Christ Church Parish, S.C., in 1739; pursued classical studies; studied law in Charleston and later at the Middle Temple in London; returned to Charleston, S.C., and commenced practice in 1761; elected to the provincial assembly in 1762; attorney general pro tempore in 1764 and 1765; delegate to the Stamp Act Congress at New York City in 1765; continued the practice of law; Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1775; served as president and commander in chief of South Carolina 1776-1778 and as governor 1779-1782; again a Member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783; elected one of the state chancellors in 1784; delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787; member of the state ratification convention in 1788; received the electoral vote of South Carolina for vice president in 1789; Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court 1789-1791; elected chief justice of South Carolina in 1790 and served until 1795, when he resigned; nominated in 1795 to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and presided at the August term, but the Senate on December 15, 1795, refused to confirm him; died in Charleston, S.C., July 23, 1800; interment in St. Michaelâs Churchyard.
Bibliography
Haw, James. John & Edward Rutledge of South Carolina. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1997.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
