Francis Hopkinson

He died in 1791 from a sudden epileptic seizure at the relatively young age of 53.

Francis Hopkinson was the eldest among the eight children born to Thomas Hopkinson and Mary Baldwin Johnson. His father died when he was only 14 and his mother tried her best to give her children a good life.

Motivated by his mother to acquire a good education, he joined the newly-founded College of Philadelphia in 1751 and graduated with a B.A degree in 1757. He earned his master’s degree three years later in 1760.

He studied law under the guidance of Pennsylvania’s attorney general Benjamin Chew and began his law practice in 1761. However, he could not do well in this endeavour.

Looking for a career change, he entered the public service later in 1761 and was appointed secretary to the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania Indian Commission. In this position, he worked to make treaties with the Delaware and several other tribes.

He was made the customs collector for Salem, New Jersey, in 1763. During this time he tried his hands at operating a business venture, but could not find success.

He worked as a librarian for a year in 1764.

Public career suited him well, and in order to seek better job prospects he went to England in 1766 to secure the position of commissioner of customs for North America.

In 1776, he participated in the vote of independence and independence debates, and signed the Declaration of Independence on 2 August, becoming one of the 56 delegates to do so.

He claimed in a 1780 letter to the government that he had designed America’s first flag that consisted of thirteen white stars in a background of blue, and thirteen red and white stripes. At that time the government did not acknowledge his claim, but later on it became an undisputable fact that he was the designer of the first American Flag.