CLARK, ABRAHAM

born Feb. 15, 1726, Elizabethtown, N.J. died Sept. 15, 1794, Elizabeth, N.J., U.S. American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Benefiting little from formal education, Clark became a surveyor and managed transfers of property. He had a gift for politics and served in many public offices in New Jersey. He championed the cause of the colonies and in 1776 was elected to the Continental Congress, where he voted for separation from Great Britain and signed the Declaration. He was reelected to the Continental Congress several times and was also a delegate to the Annapolis Convention (1786). He was chosen to be a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention (1787) but was unable to attend because of illness. Clark opposed the adoption of the new U.S. Constitution until he was assured that a bill of rights would be added to it. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1791 until his death.