born May 2, 1740, Philadelphia, Pa.
died Oct. 24, 1821, Burlington, N.J., U.S.
U.S. public official.
He became a lawyer in 1760. Though a conservative Whig, he supported the American Revolution . He was president of the Continental Congress in 1782–83 and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1789–95) and as director of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia (1795–1805).