Matthew Thornton, born in Ireland moved to America with his family when he was three. He became a physician and was appointed surgeon to the New Hampshire troops in the expedition against Louisburg in 1745. He was successful in his medical practice and became a leading member of the community in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Thornton held many local offices while representing Londonderry at the Provincial Assembly, eventually becoming its President. In 1775, Thornton was asked to draft a plan of government for New Hampshire after dissolution of the royal government, which became the state's first constitution. He was selected as the first President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and a justice to the Superior Court under the new constitution. He signed the Declaration on behalf of New Hampshire when he arrived at the Continental Congress. Thornton declined to attend the Congress again in 1777 due to poor health, and he spent the rest of his life attending to State duties and writing political essays.
