12 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 47, No. 4 Featured Article A photograph of the birthplace of John Morton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, in Essington, Pennsylvania, circa 1919. This photo in the public domain is taken from Old Roads Out of Philadelphia by John Thomson Faris, published by JB Lippincott. a good teacher, because young John only had the opportunity to attend classes in a school for about three months during his childhood. A Lifetime Surveyor Morton’s home schooling and his life experiences were enough to get him into the surveying business, which he practiced on and off throughout his lifetime —while he was farming, becoming a husband and father of nine, working as a lawyer and politician and helping his neighbors out with legal advice and accounting. He was highly respected and known for sound judgment and pleasant temperament. In 1756, Morton was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly at age 31, a position he held for a decade until he was appointed as the sheriff of Chester County. He was re-elected to that position every year until he again was elected to the Assembly in 1769. While he was doing all of this, he also held the positions of presiding Judge of the Court of General Quarters Session, Common Pleas of the County of Chester, Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and Justice of Orphan’s Court. In 1774, he became a delegate to the First Continental Congress, then a year later, elected to the Second Continental Congress. It was during the vote for or against independence, Morton found himself at the center of an epic decision. A Monumental Vote Previously, the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania had voted in opposition to independence. This time, the votes were evenly split, as was Pennsylvania’s delegation. It fell to Morton to cast the deciding vote for the entire Congress. He was keenly aware of the staggering importance of his vote and the possibility of disastrous results. Fortunately, he was a man of firmness and decision and voted in favor of the liberty of his country, a decision that earned him the enmity of those who were opposed to independence, including a number of close friends. If he hadn’t cast that “Aye” vote, it’s unlikely the Declaration of Independence would have been adopted. Like his contemporary, Abraham Clark, Morton faced personal consequences of his support for independence, aside continued www.bigredm.com Advertise to Support Your Association! Contact us today! Ronnie Jacko | 503-445-2234 | [email protected]
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