Constitution Signer

John Langdon

1.     Early Life

a.     State of residence: New Hampshire

Born June 26, 1741, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Died Sept. 18, 1819, Portsmouth

Occupation: At an early age, he was an apprentice to a counting-house and subsequently became a prosperous ship owner. Langdon commanded a ship which was employed in the London and West-India trade. He then became a successful merchant in Portsmouth.

Offices Held:
Member, Continental Congress, (1775–76, 1783–84)

Member, New Hampshire legislature (1777–82, 1801–15)

Member, New Hampshire state senate (1784–85)

President of New Hampshire (1785–86, 1788–89)

Delegate to the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787)

Governor of New Hampshire (1805–09, 1810–12)

2.     Role in the Revolutionary War: During the war he organized and financed John Stark’s expedition against British Gen.  John Burgoyne (1777). In 1775, Mr. Langdon was a delegate to the general Congress of the colonies. In June, 1776, he resigned his seat in that body, to become a navy-agent.

In 1777, he was speaker of the Assembly of New Hampshire, and, when funds were needed to support a regiment, Langdon gave all his money from the proceeds of seventy hogsheads of tobacco. A hogshead is a large wooden barrel with 1,000 or so pounds of tobacco pressed into each barrel. A brigade was raised with this money, and with that brigade General Stark achieved his memorable victory over the Hessians.

3.     Participation in the Constitutional Convention – Contributions to the final document and final vote

Langdon spoke more than 20 times during the debates and was a member of the committee that struck a compromise on the issue of slavery. For the most part, his sympathies lay on the side of strengthening the national government. In 1788, once again as state president (1788-89), he took part in the ratifying convention.

4.     Federal Government and Congress

1789 to 1801 Langdon sat in the U.S. Senate, including service as the first President pro tem for several sessions. Langdon declined Jefferson's offer of the Secretaryship of the Navy.

5.     Death and Legacy

 In 1812 Langdon refused the Democratic-Republican Vice-Presidential nomination on the grounds of age and health. He enjoyed retirement for another 7 years before he died at the age of 78. His grave is at Old North Cemetery in Portsmouth.

Notes: As early as 1774, when the country passed the Boston port bill, and hostilities ensued, Langdon, with John Sullivan and Thomas Pickering, raised a troop, proceeded to the fort at Great Island, disarmed the garrison, and conveyed the arms and ammunition to a place of safety. The royal government would have prosecuted him, but was deterred by the resolution of the inhabitants to shield him at all costs.