Edward Rutledge, South Carolina

    Edward Rutledge was born in Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, on November 23, 1749. The youngest of seven children, he spent some of his youth working in his brother John's law office. Edward went to England at age 19 to continue his law studies, and when he returned he was ready to support the colonies. At the same time, though, he also believed reconciliation was possible and tended to support conservative factions. He was also a leading supporter of states' rights.
    Rutledge was chosen to represent South Carolina in the First Continental Congress. There John Adams would meet him and gain an unfavorable view of him, saying, "Young Ned Rutledge is a perfect Bob-o-Lincoln - a swallow, a sparrow, a peacock; excessively vain, excessively weak, and excessively variable and unsteady; jejune, inane, and puerile."
    In the Second Continental Congress, Rutledge apparently waffled on the position of independence. It was at his request that the vote be delayed from June 7 until July 1. Originally he and his delegation voted against the proposal, but later switched their vote. Rutledge unhesitatingly signed the Declaration.
    He left Congress in 1777 to lead his state's militias. During the seige of 1780, he was seized by the British and held in Charleston as a prisoner of war. He was shipped to St. Augustine, Florida and was held in a military prison for more than a year.
    Finally he was released in a prisoner exchange, and returned to Charleston to practice law. He became a member of the state legislature and later was elected governor. However he died on January 23, 1800, only 50 years old.

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