Who Is Gunning Bedford Jr.: Who Shaped America?

465 Words1 Page

The Role of Gunning Bedford Jr. Many people know Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington as our founding fathers, but what about the other men who helped shape America. Gunning Bedford Jr. had a prominent role in forming what would later be the backbone of America. He acquired his education at a prestigious college and he was known for his key role standing up for smaller states. After his key role in building the constitution, he was later hand selected by George Washington to serve as the federal district judge of Delaware Bedford Jr. was born in Philadelphia in 1747 where he was raised. “The fifth of seven children, he was descended from a distinguished family that originally settled in Jamestown, VA.” ( A Biography of Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1747-1812). Bedford Jr. moved off and attended the University of New Jersey later known as …show more content…

He sat in the legislature, on the state council, and in the Continental Congress (1783-85).”(A Biography of Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1747-1812). “Bedford numbered among the more active members of the Constitutional Convention, and he missed few sessions. A large and forceful man, he spoke on several occasions and was a member of the committee that drafted the Great Compromise. “(A Biography of Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1747-1812). Bedford Jr. was known for standing up for the smaller states. He even threatened to bring in a foreign alliance to back them unless they agreed to the terms.(A Biography of Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1747-1812). “In 1789 Washington designated him as a federal district judge for his state, an office he was to occupy for the rest of his life. His only other ventures into national politics came in 1789 and 1793, as a Federalist presidential elector.”(A Biography of Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1747-1812). Bedford died in 1812. He was 65 years old. He had a strong political background and helped to set the foundation of

Open Document