Three primary documents from the former sea captain who freed his enslaved man before marching to war, helped build the Continental Navy, fought at Saratoga, and died on the bench.
William Whipple was born January 14, 1730 in Kittery, Massachusetts (now Maine). He went to sea in his early teens and by twenty-one had earned the position of ship's master. For years he operated in the Triangle Trade, which included the transport of enslaved people. By 1759, having amassed a sufficient fortune, he retired from the sea and entered the merchant trade with his brothers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He would later free the enslaved man in his household before marching to war.
Elected to the Continental Congress in 1776, Whipple served on the Marine Committee alongside Joseph Hewes and John Adams. He voted for independence on July 2 and signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. He also served on the Continental Congress's committee superintending the commissary and quartermaster departments, working to supply Washington's forces.
WHIPPLE, William, a Delegate from New Hampshire; born in Kittery, York County, Mass. (now Maine), January 14, 1730; became a sailor and engaged in the slave trade; freed his slaves and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Portsmouth, N.H.; delegate to the Provincial Congress at Exeter in 1775; Delegate to the Second Continental Congress, 1776-1779; one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence; served in the Revolutionary War and participated in several battles; commissioned a brigadier general in 1777.
Whipple was commissioned a brigadier general in the New Hampshire Militia in 1777 and led New Hampshire troops in the Saratoga campaign. He was present at the surrender of Burgoyne in October 1777, one of the turning points of the Revolution. John Trumbull's famous painting of the surrender at Saratoga includes Whipple, shown standing third from the right.
He also served on the New Hampshire state assembly from 1780 to 1784 and was appointed associate justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court in 1782. A letter from Josiah Bartlett to Whipple, dated September 3, 1776, is at the LOC House Archives, documenting their congressional correspondence during the critical weeks following the signing.
A letter from Josiah Bartlett to "Col Whipple" written on September 3, 1776 · LOC House Archives · William Whipple Papers · history.house.gov/People/Listing/W/WHIPPLE,-William-(W000346)/
Whipple served as associate justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court from 1782 until his death. His health had been declining for several years, likely the result of heart disease. He died suddenly in Portsmouth on November 28, 1785, at fifty-five, still serving on the bench. He was buried in the Old North Burial Ground in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
His congressional letters are in the Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789, at the Library of Congress. Selected correspondence is at the New Hampshire Historical Society.