Category: Founding Fathers

Early Life and Education John Jay was born on December 12, 1745, in New York City to a prosperous merchant family of French Huguenot roots. He received his early education from private tutors and entered King's College (later renamed Columbia University) at the age of 14. At King's College, Jay studied a wide range of…

Early Life and Inheritance John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. After the death of his father, young John moved in with his uncle Thomas Hancock, a prosperous merchant in Boston. Under the guidance of his uncle, John attended the Boston Latin School and later Harvard College, where he graduated in…

Early Life and Education James Madison was born into a prosperous Virginia family on March 16, 1751, at Belle Grove plantation. His upbringing afforded him educational opportunities that many of his contemporaries lacked. From the age of 11, under private tutors, Madison embarked on rigorous studies that spanned subjects like Latin, mathematics, and geography. This…

Early Life and Family Background Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. His father, Joseph Paine, was a Quaker and a corset maker by trade. Joseph likely impressed upon young Thomas the Quaker values of equality, simplicity, and integrity. These tenets might have sown early seeds within Paine for his…

Family Background and Early Life James Monroe was born into a planter family in 18th-century Virginia. His father, Spence Monroe, was of Scottish descent, while his mother, Elizabeth Jones Monroe, brought Welsh heritage to the family. Monroe was raised on a 600-acre property in Westmoreland County, where the family’s economic and cultural practices relied heavily…

Early Life and Family Background John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. His father died when he was young, and John moved in with his wealthy uncle and aunt, Thomas and Lydia Hancock, in Boston. Thomas Hancock owned a successful mercantile house, The House of Hancock, which was involved in transatlantic…

Early Life and Education Richard Henry Lee was born on January 20, 1732, in Stratford, Virginia, to the wealthy and influential Lee family. Following the early deaths of both his parents during his adolescence, Lee's education was entrusted to the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Despite familial expectations urging him to return…

Early Life and Education Born on September 19, 1737, in Annapolis, Maryland, Charles Carroll was immersed from birth into a family where Catholic faith and prosperous society intertwined. At age ten, Charles began his schooling at the Jesuit school at Bohemia Manor, learning under the discreet but vigilant eye of his guardians who maneuvered the…

Early Life and Revolutionary War Service John Marshall was born on September 24, 1755, near Germantown, Virginia. As the eldest of 15 children, he experienced a childhood of rugged frontier living which influenced his later views on life and law. His father, Thomas Marshall, was a land surveyor and engaged in local politics. Marshall's formal…

Early Life and Education Rufus King was born on March 24, 1755, in Scarborough, Massachusetts, which would later become part of Maine. His father, a well-to-do merchant and farmer, was known locally for his prosperity and his staunch Loyalist views during a period of increasing revolutionary sentiment. The elder King defended the contentious Stamp Act,…