Thomas Lynch Jr. was born in Georgetown, South Carolina back in 1749 to Thomas Sr. and Beverly. He attended the Indigo Society School in Georgetown before leaving for England. He enrolled at Eton College and Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. He returned to South Carolina in 1772.
He was elected a member of the Provincial Congress in 1775, where they formed the South Carolina constitution. He was named company commander of the First South Carolina regiment in 1775. In 1776, the South Carolina General Assembly named Thomas to the Continental Congress as a sixth delegate.
During the trip from South Carolina to Philadelphia his father became ill so he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was the second youngest delegate to sign the Declaration. After returning to South Carolina he fell ill and the doctors suggested he move to England for a different atmosphere. He and his wife sailed for England on the St. Eustatius in 1799. The ship disappeared shortly after leaving the West Indies in 1799 making him the youngest signer of the Declaration to die, he was 30.
NW Arkansas, come for a visit, stay for a lifetime.
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