Secretary
Signs the
Constitution
William Jackson was born in England on March 9, 1759. After
the death of his parents, Jackson was sent to Charleston, SC, and
raised by a prominent merchant and family friend. He fought in the
Revolutionary War and when the Southern regiments were placed
under the command of Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, William
became an aide to assist him in relating to his Southern troops. A
skilled staff officer, Jackson was later assigned to General
Washington's staff, serving as secretary to the general's aide John
Laurens.
He served as Robert Morris’s agent in England and studied law
upon his return. As an impoverished law student in 1787, William
Jackson wrote to Washington applying for the post as secretary to
the Philadelphia Convention. On the first day of business, May 25,
1787, Alexander Hamilton nominated Jackson to the post, and the
delegates chose him over William Franklin, Ben Franklin’s
grandson, despite the latter's experience serving as his grand-father's
secretary during the Treaty of Paris negotiations.
As the convention secretary, Jackson had a number of duties,
including maintaining the secrecy of the proceedings, keeping
official minutes, and destroying many of the other records. He
signed the document "Attest William Jackson, Secretary." Jackson
became the 40th signer of the U.S. Constitution. He was sent to the
Congress of the Confederation, assembled in New York City, with a
copy of the Constitution, and was honored to read it out to the
Congress just days after the signing in1787.