William Whipple

William Whipple

William Whipple was born in Kittery, Maine in 1730. His father was a native of Ipswich, and was bred a maltster; but for several years after his removal to Kittery, he followed the sea. His mother was the daughter of Robert Cutts, a distinguished ship-builder, who established himself at Kittery, where he became wealthy, and at his death left a fortune to his daughter. His education was limited to a public school in his native town. It was respectable but it did not embrace that variety and extent of learning, which is generally obtained at some higher institutions (Vinci, 1). When he left school, he entered on board a merchant vessel, and for several years he devoted himself to commercial business on the sea. He went to sea in his teens and by 21 was captain of his own ship (Fradin, 96). His voyages were mainly in the West Indies, and proving successful, he acquired a considerable fortune. At age 29, he gave up his seafaring life, and started a business with a brother at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where they continued in trade until within a few years of the revolution (Vinci, 1).

Whipple entered with spirit into the controversy between Great Britain and the colonies, and being distinguished for the general probity of his character, as well as for the force of his genius, was frequently elected by his townsmen to offices of trust and responsibility. In the provincial congress he represented the town of Portsmouth. In 1776 he was appointed a delegate to the general congress, of which body he continued a member until the middle of September 1777. In this important situation, he was distinguished for great activity, and by his perseverance and application commended himself to the respect of the national assembly, and to his constituents at home. He was particularly active as one of the superintendents of the commissary's and quartermaster's departments, in which he was successful in correcting many abuses, and in giving to those establishments a proper correctness and efficiency (Malone, 101). A leading advocate for independence, Whipple gave helped New Hampshire to become the first of the thirteen colonies to form its own government in January 1776. That month he was chosen to represent New Hampshire at the Continental Congress. That is where he voted for and signed the Declaration (Kindig, 1).

Once independence was declared, William Whipple wanted to fight--even though he was starting to suffer from a heart condition that caused him to faint at times. Whipple was one of about sixteen signers who served as soldiers during the war. He rose to the rank of general and took part in campaigns in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (Fradin, 96). During the remaining years of Mr. Whipple's life, he filled several important offices. In 1780,