John Nixon (financier)

John Nixon (1733–1808) was a financier and official from Philadelphia who served as a militia officer in the American Revolutionary War.

He was born in Philadelphia, the son of a shipping merchant. Upon the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, he signed the non-importation agreement against the Act, became active in opposing the encroachments of the English government upon American liberties, and was a member of the first committee of correspondence in Pennsylvania.

In April 1775, he became lieutenant-colonel of the third battalion of the Philadelphia Associators, a militia unit. He was also a member of the Committee of Safety. From May to July 1776, he was in command of the defenses of the Delaware at Fort Island, after which he was put in charge of the defenses of Philadelphia.

On July 8, 1776, he made the first public proclamation of the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Pennsylvania State House. The same year Nixon was promoted colonel and later served under Washington at the battle of Princeton. In 1776 he became a member of the Navy Board, and two years later was with Washington again at Valley Forge. In 1780 he became a director of the Bank of Pennsylvania. Afterward he assisted in organizing the Bank of North America, of which he was president from 1792 until his death.

Nixon died in 1808; he was interred in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia.

Biographical Sketch

NIXON, John, soldier, was born in Philadelphia.Pa., in 1733. His father was a wealthy shippingmerchant who left his son his business at hisdeath in 1756. John Nixon was among those whosigned the non-importation agreement of 1765, fromwhich time on he was one of the leaders of the patriotcause in Philadelphia. He was a member of thefirst committee of correspondence and of the committeeof public safety, served in the provincialconventions of 1774 and 1775, and in April. 1775,was chosen lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Philadelphiabattalion. In May, 1776, he commanded the defencesof the Delaware, from which he was transferredin July, 1776, and was assigned to the commandof the city guard of Philadelphia. He wasthe first to read the declaration of independence toan assemblage of citizens after its adoption. In thesummer of 1776 his battalion served at Amboy. Inthe following December, Nixon, having in the meantimesucceeded to the chief command, reinforcedWashington at Trenton and participated in the battleof Princeton. In 1776 Nixon served on thenavy board and in 1778 he spent the winter at ValleyForge. When a bank to provision the army wasformed in 1780 he became its first director. Hewas also one of the founders of the Bank of NorthAmerica, established in 1783, and its president from1792 until his death, which occurred Dec. 31, 1808. [Page 83, The Builders of the Nation By Stanley-Bradley Publishing Co, National cyclopaedia of American biography, 1892]

External links

* [http://virtualology.com/apjohnnixon1/ Biography at virtualology.com]
* [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/1700s/people/nixon_john.html Biography at the University of Pennsylvania]
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Notes

[1] Page 83, The Builders of the Nation By Stanley-Bradley Publishing Co, National cyclopaedia of American biography, 1892