THE BAYARDS AND OTHER FAMILIES 309 



force in the growing resentment against British oppres- 

 sion and the movement for independence. He was one of 

 tlie first to join the famous organization known as the 

 Sons of Liberty, and in spite of the injury to his busi- 

 ness which it entailed, he was one of the first merchants to 

 sign the non-importation agreement of October, 1765. In 

 1774: he was elected to the Provincial Congress ; two years 

 later he became a member of the Council of Safety. Dur- 

 ing the campaign of 1776-7 he was in the field at the head 

 of a Pennsylvania regiment. So brave a soldier was he 

 that after the battle of Princeton Washingtou compli- 

 mented him in person upon his gallantry in that action. 

 The year following he again took uj) his legislative duties, 

 serving as speaker of the Pennsylvania house of assem- 

 bly. In 1781 he was appointed to the supreme executive 

 council, and in 1785 completed his public services by 

 representing his state in the Continental Congress. He 

 deserved to be remembered, in the phrase of Bancroft, as 

 ''a patriot of singular purity of character." 



Samuel Bayard, born in Philadelphia in 1767, was the 

 fourth son of Colonel John Bayard. He graduated from 

 Princeton with the class of 1784, studied law and com- 

 menced his practice in Philadelphia. In 1791 he was 

 made clerk of the United States Supreme Court, but left 

 that position in 1794 to become the agent of the govern- 

 ment in prosecuting the claims before the British Court of 

 Admiralty. On his return from London he settled in 

 New York and commanded a large and lucrative practice. 

 While living in New York he became instrumental in 

 founding the New York Historical Society. In 1806 he 

 purchased a beautiful estate in Princeton, New Jersey, 

 becoming a country squire and philanthropist. He at- 

 tended session after session of the state legislature, and for 

 many years was the presiding judge of the Court of Com- 

 mon Pleas of Somerest County. Among other things, he 

 was associated with Elias Boudinot in forming the Ameri- 

 can Bible Society, and was one of the founders and patrons 



Sons of 

 Liberty 



Gallant 

 Soldier 



Samuel 

 Bayard 



Founder of 

 New York 

 Historical 

 Society 



