Bartlett, Josiah

Bartlett, Josiah, 1729–95, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Amesbury, Mass. He practiced medicine in Kingston, N.H., and was a delegate to the provincial assembly (1765–75) and the provincial congress (1775) before serving in the Continental Congress (1775–76; 1778). He returned to New Hampshire, held judicial posts, including the chief justiceship of New Hampshire (1788–90), advocated (1788) the adoption of the federal Constitution, and was chief executive of the state (1790–94). Bartlett, N.H., is named for him.

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Bartlett, Josiah (1729–95) physician, governor; born in Amesbury, Mass. A self-taught physician in Kingston, N.H. (1750–79), he reformed medical diagnosis and treatment. A member of the Continental Congress (1775–76, 1778–79), he signed the Declaration of Independence, afterwards serving as common pleas judge. He was chief of justice of the state superior court (1788–90), and New Hampshire's first governor (1790–94).