McHenry, << muhk HEHN ree, >> James (1753-1816), a doctor and politician, was a Maryland signer of the Constitution of the United States. He was absent from many early sessions of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 but helped shape the final document. He helped win ratification (approval) of the Constitution by Maryland.
McHenry was born on Nov. 16, 1753, in Ballymena, Ireland. He moved to Philadelphia in 1771 and studied medicine. During the American Revolution (1775-1783), McHenry served as an army surgeon and as secretary to Generals George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. He served in the Maryland legislature from 1781 to 1786 and from 1791 to 1796, and he attended the Congress of the Confederation from 1783 to 1785. In 1796, President George Washington appointed him secretary of war. McHenry continued in this office under President John Adams until 1800. He died on May 3, 1816.
