Francis Hopkinson

Francis Hopkinson (born October 2, 1737, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [U.S.]—died May 9, 1791, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) was an American lawyer, musician, author, member of the Continental Congress, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Hopkinson was educated at the College of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania), graduating in 1757, and also studied law. After a brief business career, he launched a successful legal practice in New Jersey, being admitted to the bar in 1761. During the 1760s he was secretary of a commission that finalized a treaty between Native Americans and Pennsylvania, and he served as a customs collector in Salem, New Jersey, and New Castle, Delaware.

In 1774 Hopkinson, who had restarted his law practice in Bordentown, N.J., was appointed to the governor’s council, and in 1776 he represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress. He signed the Declaration of Independence and later served in several minor offices in the new American government. From 1779 to 1789 he was judge of the admiralty court for Pennsylvania, and from 1789 to his death he was U.S. district judge for eastern Pennsylvania. An ardent backer of the Constitution, he was a member of the convention that approved it and wrote several effective articles that contributed to the ratification effort in Pennsylvania. From 1789–91 he served as U.S. district court judge in Pennsylvania.

Hopkinson was an accomplished player of the harpsichord and a composer of both religious and secular songs. In addition, he wrote poetry and literary essays. During the Revolution, he ridiculed the British and their loyalist sympathizers with pointed political satires. After the Revolution, he maintained a steady correspondence with Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

Among his varied pursuits, Hopkinson was also an artist. He designed the seal of the American Philosophical Society, the seal for the state of New Jersey, and seals for various departments of the U.S. government. There is strong evidence to support the view that he helped design the American flag; the U.S. Congress, however, turned down his petition for payment, asserting that others had also contributed to the design.