Gunning Bedford, jr.
Continental Congressman from Delaware
In office October 26, 1784 – October 27, 1786
In office February 1, 1783 – April 8, 1784
Born	1747 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	March 30, 1812 (aged 64) Wilmington, Delaware
Residence	Wilmington, Delaware
Alma mater	College of New Jersey
Profession	lawyer

Gunning Bedford, Jr. (1747 - March 30, 1812) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, who served as a Continental Congressman from Delaware and as a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. He is often confused with Gunning Bedford, Sr. (1742-1797), an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Governor of Delaware. Gunning Bedford, Jr. ... Taken from http://www. ... The Continental Congress was the first national government of the United States. ... is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1747 (MDCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... : Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Delaware. ... : Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Delaware. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... Year 1747 (MDCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... : Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ... The Continental Congress was the first national government of the United States. ... Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy. ... Gunning Bedford, Sr. ... Illustration depicting uniforms and weapons used during the 1779 to 1783 period of the American Revolution by showing four soldiers standing in an informal group General George Washington, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on June 15, 1775. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen... List of Delaware Governors Governors of New Sweden, 1639-1655 Peter Minuit 1639-1640 Peter Hollandaer Ridder 1640-1643 Johan Björnsson Printz 1643-1653 Johan Papegoya 1653-1654 Johan Classon Rising 1654-1655 Part of New Netherland, 1655-1664 Part of New York, 1664-1682 Part of Pennsylvania, 1682...

Bedford graudated from the College of New Jersey, (now Princeton). He was elected to the Delaware legislature. In 1784, he was appointed Attorney General and served in that position for five years.

Bedford was the most vocal supporter of giving small states equal power in the federal government to large states; his experience in local politics, along with his service in the Continental Congress, taught him much about the political and economic vulnerabilities of states like Delaware. Unlike some other small-state representatives who looked to the creation of a strong central government to protect their interests against more powerful neighbors, Bedford sought to limit the powers of the new government. But when the conflict over representation threatened to wreck the Constitutional Convention, he laid regional interests aside and, for the good of the country, sought to compromise. The Continental Congress was the first national government of the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Delaware. ... Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy. ...

Contributions to the constitutional convention

Concerned primarily with the fate of the small states in a federal union potentially dominated by powerful, populous neighbors, the fiery Bedford warned the delegates at Philadelphia that the small states might have to seek foreign alliances for their own protection. Bedford's threat, "the small ones would find some foreign ally of more honor and good faith, who will take them by the hand and do them justice" was shouted down as treasonous by the other delegates. (New Republic, August 7, 2002)At first he joined with those who sought merely to amend the Articles of Confederation, believing, as one delegate contended, "there is no middle way between a perfect consolidation of the states into one nation and a mere confederacy of the states. The first is out of the question, and in the latter they must continue if not perfectly yet equally sovereign". is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

But when the idea of drafting a new Constitution was accepted, he supported the New Jersey Plan, a scheme that provided equal representation for the states in the national legislature, a point on which the Delaware legislature had instructed its delegates not to compromise. He called for strong limitations on the powers of the executive branch and recommended measures by which the states could maintain close control over the national legislature and judiciary, including the appointment of federal judges by the state legislatures. Bedford's speeches in support of these ideas led Georgia delegate William Pierce to describe him as a "bold" speaker, with "a very commanding and striking manner;" but "warm and impetuous in his temper and precipitate in his judgement". The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government proposed by William Paterson on June 15, 1787. ... William Pierce (1740 - 1789) was an army officer during the American Revolutionary War and a politician from Georgia. ...

Realizing as the Convention sessions went on that unyielding adherence to his position would endanger the union, Bedford adopted a more flexible stance. He agreed to sit on the committee that drafted the Great Compromise, which settled the thorny question of representation and made possible the Convention's acceptance of the new plan of government. The Connecticut Compromise of 1787 in the United States, also known as the Great Compromise, was one of the most important compromises reached in the United States Constitution. ...

For more information on Constitutional Convension and Bedford's role in creating an equal suffrage Senate, see History of the United States Senate. Debate over Compromise of 1850 in the Old Senate Chamber. ...

Career after the constitutional convention

Bedford was a delegate to Delaware's ratification convention. Thanks to his efforts, along with those of John Dickinson, William Bassett, and others, Delaware became the first state to approve the Constitution. Resigning his post as Delaware's attorney general in 1789, he served that year and again in 1793 as a presidential elector, casting ballots both times for George Washington. Widely respected for his knowledge of the law, Bedford was asked by Delaware's senators and fellow signers George Read and William Bassett to review a bill, then under consideration, on the organization of the federal judiciary system. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... George Read (September 18, 1733–September 21, 1798), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Delaware. ... William Bassett (?-1783) was an American Quaker abolitionist who was disowned by his Meeting in 1840 after protesting its failure to integrate and adopt abolitionism. ...

Bedford praised the document, which would become the Judiciary Act of 1789, one of the most important pieces of legislation of the period, as a "noble work;" but expressed some concerns as well. He admitted that the common law of the United States was difficult to define. "Yet;" he claimed, "the dignity of America requires that it [a definition] be ascertained, and that where we refer to laws they should be laws of our own country. If the principles of the laws of any other country are good and worthy of adoption, incorporate them into your own." He believed the Constitution's ratification had been the moment of "legal emancipation;" declaring that "as the foundation is laid so must the superstructure be built." In September 1789 Washington selected Bedford to be the first federal district judge for Delaware, a position he held until his death.

Bedford never lost interest in his local community. Believing the establishment of schools "is, on all hands, justly acknowledged to be an object of first importance;" he worked for the improvement of education in Wilmington. He was president of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington Academy, and when that institution became Wilmington College, he became its first president. He also served as the first Grand Master of the Delaware Masonic Lodge.

He is buried at the Masonic Home in Christiana, Delaware Christiana is a community near Wilmington, Delaware, USA. It is named after the Christina River, which is in turn named after the Queen Christina of Sweden. ...

References

• Initial article adapted from public domain U.S. military text. [1]

External links

• U.S. Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Retrieved December 24, 2005.

v • d • e Signatories of the United States Constitution

Baldwin • Bassett • Bedford • Blair • Blount • Brearley • Broom • Butler • Carroll • Clymer • Daniel • Dayton • Dickinson • Few • Fitzsimons • Franklin • Gilman • Gorham • Hamilton • Ingersoll • Johnson • King • Langdon • Livingston • Madison • McHenry • Mifflin • G. Morris • R. Morris • Paterson • C. C. Pinckney • Pinckney • Read • Rutledge • Sherman • Spaight • Washington • Williamson • Wilson •

United States Congress Senate • Senators • Senate Leadership • Senate Committees • Senate elections House • Representatives • House Leadership • House Committees • House elections • Districts Continental Congress

v • d • e Government of Delaware Dover (capital)

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