Bedford, Gunning, Jr. (1747-1812), a lawyer and statesman from Delaware, was a signer of the Constitution of the United States. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Bedford spoke out forcefully for the rights of small states, such as Delaware. He served on the committee that drafted a critical compromise on state representation in the national legislature. This proposal, calling for equal representation in the Senate and representation based on population in the House of Representatives, became known as the Great Compromise. Bedford also was a member of the Delaware state convention that ratified (approved) the Constitution.
Bedford was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1771. Bedford served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). About 1779, he began practicing law in Dover, Delaware. He served as Delaware’s attorney general from 1784 to 1789. He also represented the state in the Congress of the Confederation from 1783 to 1785. President George Washington appointed Bedford judge of the U.S. District Court for Delaware in 1789. He held that position until his death on March 30, 1812.
