Francis Hopkinson With the nation gearing up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and Monmouth County government leading the way with each of its towns joining in Monmouth250 highlighting the importance of this county during the American Revolution and the early years of the new nation, VeniVidiScripto begins a series of stories leading up to 2026 highlighting some of the historic persons, places and events that highlight what has transpired through the two and a half centuries of New Jersey life.
Included in the series will be stories about each of the five signers of the Declaration of Independence who represented New Jersey at the Continental Congress and put their lives on the line when opposing King George III and the heritage most of the Signers shared with the Mother Country.
Francis Hopkinson: NJ Signer of the Declaration
While it was the most significant and historical action this Philadelphia born signer took, putting his name at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey is not the only event which makes Francis Hopkinson, one of the five New Jersey Signers, stand out in history.
He is also recognized for his achievements in art, music, music composition, judiciary, Naval operations, music, musical composition, education and his church.
There is a faction of historians who are also convinced he was the earliest designer of the flag of the United States.
Born Oct. 2, 1737, in Philadelphia, Hopkinson was the son of Thomas and Mary Johnson Hopkinson, and was educated in Philadelphia schools, the first to be enrolled at the College of Philadelphia, later the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1757, studied law and launched a successful practice in New Jersey.
He met and married Ann Borden daughter of Joseph Borden, a wealthy businessman for whom Bordentown was named, and who later became a colonel in the Army during the Revolution.
While practicing law in New Jersey, Hopkinson was secretary of a commission that finalized the treaty between Native Americans and Pennsylvania and also served as customs collector in Salem, New Jersey.
After signing the Declaration of Independence as a member of the Continental Congress, Hopkinson continued to serve in government, as a judge of the admiralty court for Pennsylvania, later and until the time of his death as U.S. district judge for eastern Pennsylvania.
An ardent backer of the Constitution, he was a member of the convention that approved it and he authored several effective articles that contributed to its ratification by Pennsylvania.
But the lawyer was also an accomplished harpsichord player and composed a number of musical pieces for both religious and secular styles. He invented the bellarmonic, an instrument that used the tones of metal balls to make music.
He wrote poetry and literary essays and had a sense of humor and satire evident in his written work. A staunch proponent of independence from England, his ridicule of the British and Loyalists during the Resolution was inspiring to the patriots.
He wrote a song, “The Battle of the Kegs,” about the action idea of Bordentown residents when they sent floating mines downriver toward Philadelphia with the hope of sinking British ships and the British spent hours shooting at anything they saw in the water. Though the Bordentown mission failed, Hopkinson’s song continued to lighten the spirit of the patriots with its mockery of the enemy.
Hopkinson was also recognized as an artist during his lifetime. and designed the seal for the state of New Jersey as well as the American Philosophical Society.
There is strong evidence he also designed the American flag, a belief many historians recognize as authentic today. He was also a consultant for the design of the Great Seal of the United States.
Hopkinson was Chairman of the Navy Board in Philadelphia for two years after the signing of the Declaration. He was named to the Admiralty Court of Pennsylvania in 1779, and shortly thereafter, while in that position, he was impeached and charged with accepting payments and bribes for appointments as well as trading false certificates. However, he was acquitted of all charges at his impeachment trial and continued to serve in that office for another nine years.
In 1787, he was also a member of the Pennsylvania Convention that ratified the United States Constitution.
He was named to the US District Court by President George Washington in 1789, a new seat under the new form of government.
One of Hopkinson’s five children, Joseph, later also became a federal judge and a US Congressman.
Francis Hopkinson died May 9, 1791, of a sudden apoplectic seizure and is buried in Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, one of five Signers of the Declaration, including Benjamin Franklin, who are buried there.
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