Maverick

er foe than the Redcoats, Williamson’s thinking prevented any deaths from disease among the troops, an almost unheard-of accomplishment at the time. His standards were soon adopted throughout the army. His efforts saved hundreds of lives. After the American Revolution, he served briefly in the North Carolina legislature. In 1787, he was elected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Williamson railed against slavery at the convention and pushed for a fair system of representation in Congress similar to what resulted. However, he recognized that forces were working against him too much and the question would not be settled there. He supported the Constitution’s ability to ban slave importation after twenty years, the limit of the document’s possible restrictions on slavery at that point. He was one of only three North Carolina delegates to sign the Constitution that resulted. He was elected as part of North Carolina’s first congressional delegation. He took his seat in 1790 at Philadelphia, which was the nation’s capital at the time. He was re-elected in 1791. He declined to run for a third term and retired from politics in 1793. No political parties existed yet, but Williamson often found himself opposing many of the policies proposed by President George Washington, particularly on issues such as the national debt and possible protective tariffs. Williamson settled in New York City after his retirement. He largely faded from the public eye and contented himself with scientific and medical research. He wrote many articles for scientific journals on a variety of topics, from lightning rods to biology. He still kept his connections to North Carolina, serving as one of the first trustees of the University of North Carolina. His sharp mind, intelligence, and curiosity about so many subjects led many contemporaries to compare him to Benjamin Franklin.

He died in New York City in 1819 at age 83. Though largely forgotten, counties in Illinois and Tennessee are named for him.

Dr. Ken Bridges is a professor of history and geography at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado and a resident historian for the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society. Bridges can be reached by email at kbridges@southark.edu.