Secretary of the Naval Affairs Committee during the Revolutionary War who signed the Declaration of Independence, one of only three Quakers to do so (1730-1779). Manuscript DS, one page, 6.25 x 8, September 28, 1763. Bond for the appearance of an individual before the Inferior Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions "at the Court House in Denton on the fourth Monday in October next," to answer to the petition and summons of Henry Bonner. Boldly signed at the conclusion by Joseph Hewes and John Blythe, and countersigned by Jno. Hodgson as a witness. In fine condition, with tightly trimmed edges.
Born in New Jersey, Hewes had settled down in North Carolina only five years earlier and was subsequently elected to the state legislature in 1763. When he was made Secretary of the Naval Affairs Committee in 1776, he found the fledgling American Navy in a poor state and, as a successful merchant, was able to provide his own extensive fleet of ships and outfit them for battle. He also selected the most capable men as commanders, including the great John Paul Jones. Afflicted with ailing health, Hewes had to return home shortly after signing the Declaration of Independence and passed away in 1779 at just 49 years old. Hewes’s untimely death has made his autograph especially scarce, and he is considered among the ‘very rare’ signers of the Declaration.
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