Timothy Matlack
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Timothy Matlack (1736βApril 14, 1829) was an American merchant and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1780.
Timothy Matlack was one of the first Free (or "Fighting") Quakers. When he first wore his sword in the streets of Philadelphia, some orthodox Quakers ridiculed him, and asked what its use was. βIt is to defend my property and my liberty,β he replied.
Born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, he married Ellen Yarnall, daughter of Mordecai and Ann Yarnall. Matlack was a member of the Council of Safety in Philadelphia before and during the American Revolutionary War. He engrossed the official copy of the United States Declaration of Independence on display in the National Archives.
Matlack served as a member of the Shirt Battalion, fought at the Battle of Trenton, and worked assiduously to provision the Continental Army. Matlack warned Gen. George Washington about the treachery of Benedict Arnold and then presided at Arnold's court martial in Philadelphia.
[edit] Further reading
- Asa Matlock Stackhouse, Col. Timothy Matlock: Patriot and Soldier (n.p.: privately printed, 1910)
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Find-A-Grave information for Timothy Matlack
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