Benjamin Rush
BIRTH
Jan 4, 1746
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DEATH
April 19, 1813
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Delegate to the Continental Congress (PA)
FAMILY
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Rush, Benjamin
(1746-1813)
Benjamin Rush was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educator, and the founder of Dickinson College. Rush was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress. He served as surgeon general of the Continental Army and became a professor of chemistry, medical theory, and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania.
HOMES:
MARKER
Dr Benjamin Rush House Site Marker
198 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
GRAVE:
MUSEUM
Christ Church Philadelphia
20 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
1
WIFE
Julia Stockton Rush
(1759-1848)
Richard Rush
(1780-1859)
Catherine Elizabeth Rush
(1783-1854)
Places | Image | Address | GPS | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Independence National Historical Park | 520 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106 | MUSEUM |
DIED:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 19, 1813
Rush was born to John Rush and Susanna Hall. The family, of English descent, lived on a farm in the Township of Byberry in Philadelphia County, about 14 miles outside of Philadelphia. Rush was the fourth of seven children. His father died in July 1751 at age 39, leaving his mother, who ran a country store, to care for the family. At age eight, Benjamin was sent to live with an aunt and uncle to receive an education. He and his older brother Jacob attended a school run by Reverend Samuel Finley, which later became West Nottingham Academy. In 1760, after further studies at the College of New Jersey, which in 1895 became Princeton University, Rush graduated with a Bachelor of Artsdegree at age 14. From 1761 to 1766, Rush apprenticed under Dr. John Redman in Philadelphia. Redman encouraged him to further his studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where Rush studied from 1766 to 1768 and earned an M.D. degree. Rush became fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish as a result of his studies and European tour.
Rush was active in the Sons of Liberty and was elected to attend the provincial conference to send delegates to the Continental Congress. Thomas Paine consulted Rush when writing the profoundly influential pro-independence pamphlet Common Sense. Starting in 1776, Rush represented Pennsylvania and signed the Declaration of Independence. He also represented Philadelphia at Pennsylvania's own Constitutional Convention.
While Rush was representing Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress (and serving on its medical committee), he also used his medical skills in the field. Rush accompanied the Philadelphia militia during the battles after which the British occupied Philadelphia and most of New Jersey. He was depicted serving in the Battle of Princeton in the painting The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777 by the American artist John Trumbull.