Williamson, Hugh (1735-1819), a scientist, writer, doctor, and politician, was a North Carolina signer of the Constitution of the United States. Williamson was one of the most outspoken delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He played a key role in settling the dispute between large and small states over representation in Congress. Later, Williamson helped win ratification (approval) of the Constitution by North Carolina.
Williamson was born on Dec. 5, 1735, in West Nottingham Township, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and educated at the College of Philadelphia. Although first trained as a minister, he later studied medicine in Scotland and the Netherlands. He began his medical practice in Philadelphia and joined the scientific circle surrounding Benjamin Franklin. He assisted Franklin in some experiments with electricity.
Williamson defended the rebellious acts of the New England Colonies to the British in his essay The Plea of the Colonies (1775). During the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783), Williamson won distinction as an army doctor.
In 1782, Williamson was elected to the North Carolina legislature. He served in the Congress of the Confederation from 1782 to 1785 and from 1787 to 1789, and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 to 1793. He then retired to New York, where he devoted his time to scientific work and writing. He died on May 22, 1819.
