I was born in New Jersey in 1721 and grew up with the tides of revolution rising around me. By 1775, I was living in Trenton and serving as president of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey. That summer and the next, I helped lead the colony through one of its most defining moments. On July 2, 1776, under my leadership, we declared independence from British rule. Days later, we adopted New Jersey’s first state constitution, laying the foundation for a new government.

On July 8, 1776, I likely stood on the steps of the Trenton courthouse and read aloud the freshly signed Declaration of Independence to the people—a powerful, public break from the Crown. But freedom came at a price. In December of that same year, British forces occupied Trenton. I was captured and, to avoid imprisonment, accepted British protection. It was a decision that forced me to resign from my position on the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1777.

Still, I couldn’t turn my back on the cause. In 1778, I swore allegiance to the new American government and returned to public life. My name faded from the headlines, but my commitment to the Revolution and to the founding of New Jersey never wavered.