With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching here’s a seasonal post: a look at New York’s 4 representatives at the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence. FOR ALL THE SIGNERS CLICK HERE
NEW YORK – 1. William Floyd – Prior to being sent to the 2nd Continental Congress in 1776 Floyd was a Militia General who, earlier in the year, had led New York troops in successfully driving off British forces in the Battle of Gardiner’s Bay on Long Island.
2. Francis Lewis – During the war his home was destroyed by the British who also dragged off his wife Elizabeth and imprisoned her. George Washington managed her release by having the wives of two wealthy Philadelphia Tories arrested, then exchanging them for Mrs Lewis.
3. Philip Livingston – The British occupied the wealthy Livingston’s many homes, burning some and using others as hospitals and barracks. He died of heart failure while attending the Continental Congress in May, 1778.
4. Lewis Morris – His plush estate, Morrisania Manor, was burned and looted by the British army and today is the neighborhood called “Morrisania”, a South Bronx ghetto.