Signers of the Declaration of Independence: South Carolina, Part 2

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 delegates who signed the formal break from Britain are all considered Founding Fathers.

South Carolina had four delegates. This week's profile features Arthur Middleton and Edward Rutledge.

Arthur Middleton

Arthur Middleton was born June 26, 1742, on a rice plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. He was the eldest son of Henry Middleton and Mary Baker Williams; six of his siblings survived to adulthood. His father later served as the second president of the First Continental Congress, and his sister Henrietta married signer Edward Rutledge in 1774.

Middleton's family was wealthy; he had private tutors and attended a private school in Charleston. When he was 12, he was sent to London to attend the Harrow School, followed by the Westminster School. In 1757, he was admitted to study law at Middle Temple in London, but first he studied classical literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, until he was 18. After graduation, he moved back to London to study law at Middle Temple but did not graduate. He was distracted by the loss of his mother in 1761, so he traveled Europe for two years before returning to South Carolina in December 1763.

Upon returning home, he ran the family's estate, Middleton Place, which he inherited because it was part of his mother's dowry.
On Aug. 19, 1764, he married Mary Izard, and they moved into Middleton Place. Their children who survived to adulthood were Henry, Maria, Eliza, Emma, Anna, Isabella, Septima Sexta - whose name in Latin means seventh child, sixth daughter - and John.

Middleton was elected to the South Carolina House of Commons in 1765 and served until 1768. He and his wife traveled Europe for three years, and when he returned, he was a leader in the "American Party," which supported independence.

He helped draft South Carolina's constitution in 1776 and codesigned the state's official seal, which is still used today. He took his father's place at the Second Continental Congress and signed the declaration.

During the Revolutionary War, Middleton chose to serve as a private in the state militia, turning down an offer to be commissioned. He and many others, including two other South Carolina signers, were captured by British forces during the Siege of Charleston May 12, 1780. In July 1781, all three signers were freed during a prisoner exchange.

From 1783 to 1784, he rebuilt his war-torn estate. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1785 to 1786.

Middleton contracted a fever in the winter of 1786 and died Jan. 1, 1787, when he was 44 years old; his wife died July 12, 1814. Both are buried in Middleton Place, a National Historic Landmark with a museum that's open to the public.

During World War II, the attack transport USS Arthur Middleton was named in his honor and launched in 1941. In Brooklyn, New York, Middleton Playground is named for him and is located near Middleton Street.

Edward Rutledge

Edward Rutledge was born Nov. 23, 1749, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the youngest child of John, a physician who emigrated from Ireland, and Sarah Hext. His six siblings were John, Hugh, Andrew, Thomas, Sarah and Mary.

His father died when Rutledge was an infant, but his mother's wealth and independence ensured he and his siblings were well-educated. He had a private tutor and learned law from his oldest brother.

When he was 20, he sailed to England, studied at London's Middle Temple and was admitted to the English bar in 1772. The following year, he returned to South Carolina, was admitted to its bar, and began a successful law practice while running the Philips Plantation in Christ Church Parish near Charleston.

In March 1774, he married Henrietta Middleton, the sister of future fellow South Carolina signer Arthur Middleton. They had two children who survived to adulthood, Henry and Sarah. His wife died in April 1792, and six months later, he married Mary Shubrick Eveleigh.

At 24, he was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and then to the South Carolina House of Representatives the following year. At 26, he was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence.

During the Revolutionary War, Rutledge served as a captain in the Charleston Artillery Battalion. He was captured by British forces May 12, 1780, alongside Arthur Middleton and another signer, and he was freed in July 1781.

From 1782 to 1798, he served in the South Carolina state legislature, and he was elected the state's governor in 1798.

Rutledge suffered a stroke while in office and died Jan. 23, 1800; he was buried at St. Philip's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Charleston. His second wife died in 1837 and was buried alongside him.

Rutledge College, the oldest building on the University of South Carolina campus, opened in 1805. The building is named for John and Edward Rutledge. The transport ship USS Edward Rutledge launched in 1942 and carried troops overseas to support World War II. In 1980, the SS Edward Rutledge was built for the U.S. Maritime Administration; it is still active today but was renamed as the container ship George II after its modernization.

This is the 22nd and final installment in a series of articles about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the 13 colonies, are all considered Founding Fathers.