United States Attorney’s Office Celebrates the Nation’s 250th Birthday

United States Attorney's Office Celebrates the Nation's 250^th Birthday

CONCORD - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire joins the nation in celebrating the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Founding of the United States of America. One of the original thirteen colonies to declare our independence from Great Britain, New Hampshire has played a central role in this country's founding and throughout our nation's history.

• On January 5, 1776, New Hampshire adopted the first state constitution, six months before the Declaration of Independence, laying the groundwork for democratic self-government for the 250 years to come.
• On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is approved by the Continental Congress. The Declaration, setting forth the new nation's foundational values, is received and read in New Hampshire on July 16, 1776.
• On June 2, 1784, New Hampshire's current state constitution is adopted. It remains the second oldest state constitution still in operation in the United States.
• On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the federal Constitution. With New Hampshire's ratification, the Constitution becomes operational. Government under the Constitution begins on March 4, 1789.
• On September 24, 1789, the Judiciary Act of 1789 is signed into law by President George Washington. It establishes the original thirteen federal trial courts, and, with them, the original thirteen United States Attorneys, including the United States Attorney for the new District of New Hampshire.
• On September 26, 1789, President George Washington's nominee to be the first United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, John Samuel Sherburne, Jr., is confirmed by the United States Senate.

"From September of 1789 to the present, this United States Attorney's Office has served the people of New Hampshire," said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. "It is our honor to continue the work of protecting safety and the public fisc, a calling that goes back to the earliest days of our Republic." U.S. Attorney Creegan is the latest in a tradition of presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorneys for New Hampshire to serve over 237 years, among them New Hampshire's only U.S. President, Franklin Pierce. U.S. Attorney Creegan was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2025.