 Read's
mother was the daughter of a Welsh planter, and his Dublin-born
father a landholder of means. Soon after George's birth in 1733 near
the village of North East in Cecil County, MD, his family moved to
New Castle, DE, where the youth, who was one of six sons, grew up.
He attended school at Chester, PA, and Rev. Francis Alison's academy
at New London, PA, and about the age of 15 he began reading with a
Philadelphia lawyer.In 1753 Read was
admitted to the bar and began to practice. The next year, he
journeyed back to New Castle, hung out his shingle, and before long
enlisted a clientele that extended into Maryland. During this period
he resided in New Castle but maintained Stonum a country retreat
near the city. In 1763 he wed Gertrude Ross Till, the widowed sister
of George Ross, like Read a future signer of the Declaration of
Independence. She bore four sons and a daughter.
While crown attorney general (1763-74) for the
Three Lower Counties (present Delaware), Read protested against the
Stamp Act. In 1765 he began a career in the colonial legislature
that lasted more than a decade. A moderate Whig, he supported
nonimportation measures and dignified protests. His attendance at
the Continental Congress (1774-77) was irregular. Like his friend
John Dickinson, he was willing to protect colonial rights but was
wary of extremism. He voted against independence on July 2, 1776,
the only signer of the Declaration to do so, apparently either
bowing to the strong Tory sentiment in Delaware, or believing
reconciliation with Britain was still possible.
That same year, Read gave priority to state
responsibilities. He presided over the Delaware constitutional
convention, in which he chaired the drafting committee, and began a
term as speaker of the legislative council, which in effect made him
vice president of the state. When the British took Wilmington the
next fall, they captured the president, a resident of the city. At
first, because Read was away in Congress, Thomas McKean, speaker of
the lower house, took over as acting president. But in November,
after barely escaping from the British himself while he and his
family were en route to Dover from Philadelphia, newly occupied by
the redcoats, Read assumed the office and held it until the spring
of 1778. Back in the legislative council, in 1779 he drafted the act
directing Delaware congressional delegates to sign the Articles of
Confederation.
During 1779, in poor health, Read resigned from
the legislative council, refused reelection to Congress, and began a
period of inactivity. During the years 1782-88, he again sat on the
council and concurrently held the position of judge of the court of
appeals in admiralty cases.
Meantime, in 1784, Read had served on a
commission that adjusted New York-Massachusetts land claims. In 1786
he attended the Annapolis Convention. The next year, he participated
in the Constitutional Convention, where he missed few if any
sessions and championed the rights of the small states. Otherwise,
he adopted a Hamiltonian stance, favoring a strong executive. He
later led the ratification movement in Delaware, the first state to
ratify.
In the U.S. Senate (1789-93), Read's attendance
was again erratic, but when present he allied with the Federalists.
He resigned to accept the post of chief justice of Delaware. He held
it until his death at New Castle 5 years later, just 3 days after he
celebrated his 65th birthday. His grave is there in the Immanuel
Episcopal Churchyard. |
