Josiah Bartlett: Patriot and Statesman

Dr. Bartlett embarked on a political career in 1765 when he was elected as Kingston's representative to the Provincial Assembly in Portsmouth. Kingston residents re-elected him and he served for ten years until Royal Governor John Wentworth dissolved the Assembly in June 1774. Dr. Bartlett then joined his fellow representatives as they defiantly reconvened their assembly in Exeter. Early in Dr. Bartlett's political career, Governor Wentworth realized that he was an influential and respected person in the Province. In an effort to get his support, he appointed him to the post of Colonel of the regiment of the colonial militia. Yet Dr. Bartlett's resentment of British rule grew with each oppressive measure instituted by the Crown and carried out by Governor Wentworth. Eight years later, Wentworth, having lost hope of ever getting Dr. Bartlett's support, could no longer tolerate his outspoken opposition to British rule and fired him. By this time, he was widely known as a patriot, so it would seem losing this post would not have upset him!

Although Dr. Bartlett was elected to represent New Hampshire at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, he was forced to decline. His house had been burned to the ground. It is believed the arson was carried out by those loyal to the British as retribution when they discovered that Dr. Bartlett had allowed members of the patriot militia to use his attic for secret meetings.

However, Dr. Bartlett was present for the proceedings of the Second Continental Congress, in which the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed. It was decided the order of voting (and signing) would begin with the northernmost colony and continue southward, ending with the southernmost colony. New Hampshire was the northernmost colony. Although this happenstance of geography was the reason Dr. Bartlett got to cast his vote for adoption of the Declaration of Independence immediately after John Hancock (and later signed in the same order), his enthusiasm was evident to all present:

"He made the rafters shake," one of his biographers said of his vote on the resolution, "with his loud approval." (Pillsbury 295)

He continued to serve as a delegate to the Continental Congress despite the negative effect on his health caused by the difficult trips to Philadelphia. He was appointed to serve on the committee to draft the Articles of Confederation. It was feared that the first draft gave the central government too much power, and therefore would not win the approval of the colonies. Dr. Bartlett was part of the committee that revised the Articles. Some of his ideas never made it to the final draft. For instance, he suggested the formation of a special court to settle boundary disputes between the colonies. He also suggested the creation of a position in which the officeholder's responsibility would be "...to prevent injustice in the trade with [the Indians] ." (Rosal 206)

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