A signer of the
Declaration of Independence; born in
England about 1732; was a merchant at
Bristol, and emigrated to
Charleston, S. C., in 1770.
He settled on St. Catharine's Island, off the coast of
Georgia, in 1772.
Cautious and doubtful, he took no part in political affairs until after the
Revolutionary War was begun, when he became active in the patriot cause.
He was chosen a Representative in Congress in 1776, where he voted for and signed the
Declaration of Independence.
In 1777 he was president of the provincial council of
Georgia, and by hostility to
General McIntosh excited the resentment of the latter, who challenged
Gwinnett to fight a duel.
He accepted the challenge, and on May 15, 1777, was mortally wounded, dying on the 27th.
