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Francis Hopkinson. Image from The Cyclopaedia of American Literature (1880).

Francis Hopkinson (October 2, 1737–May 9, 1791), an American author, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey, was born at Philadelphia in 1737. He became a member of the first class at the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) in 1751 and graduated in 1757. He received his masters in 1760. He entered the legal profession under Pennsylvania attorney general Benjamin Chew and was admitted to the bar in 1761. He was secretary to a Provincial Council of Pennsylvania Indian commission in 1761 that made a treaty with the Delaware and several Iroquois tribes. He was appointed customs collector for Salem, NJ in 1763.

He spent from May 1766 to August 1767 in England in hopes of becoming commissioner of customs for North America. Although unsuccessful, he spent time with future Prime Minister Lord North, the Bishop of Worcester (his cousin), and painter Benjamin West.

After his return, he operated a dry goods business in Philadelphia and married Ann Borden on Sept. 1, 1768. They would have five children. He obtained a public appointment as a customs collector for New Castle, Delaware on May 1, 1772. He moved to Bordentown, NJ in 1774, became an assemblyman for the state's Royal Provincial Council, and was admitted to the New Jersey bar on May 8, 1775. He resigned his crown-appointed positions in 1776 and went on to represent New Jersey in the Continental Congress from June 22 to Nov. 30, 1776 where he signed the Declaration of Independence.

As part of the fledgling nation's government, he served on the Navy Board at Philadelphia in 1777; was treasurer of the Continental Loan Office in 1778; judge of the Admiralty Court of Pennsylvania in 1779 and reappointed in 1780 and 1787; ratified the Constitution during the constitutional convention in 1787; judge of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 1789-1791.

Hopkinson was the author of several songs to which he wrote popular airs, and of various political poems, pamphlets, and jeux d'esprit, which from their humorous satire had a wide circulation, and powerfully assisted in arousing and fostering the spirit of political independence that issued in the American Revolution.

His principal writings are The Pretty Story (1774); The Prophecy (1776); The Political Catechism (1777). Among his songs may be mentioned The Treaty, The Battle of the Kegs, and The New Roof, a song for Federal Mechanics; and the best known of his satirical pieces are Typographical Method of conducting a Quarrel, Essay on White Washing, and Modern Learning. His Miscellaneous Essays and Occasional Writings were published at Philadelphia in three volumes in 1792.

He died in Philadelphia at the age of 53 from a sudden epileptic seizure. He was buried in Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia.

Hopkinson claimed to have designed the official "first flag" of the United States and sought compensation from Congress. Congress refused on the pretext that many people were involved in the flag's design. This flag had the traditional 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue. [1]

On May 25, 1780,Hopkinson wrote a letter to the Continental Board of Admiralty mentioniong several patriotic designs he had completed during the previous three years. One was his Board of Admiralty seal, which contained a red-and-white striped shield on a blue field. Others included the Treasury Board seal, “7 devices for the Continental Currency,” and “the Flag of the United States of America.”

In the letter, Hopkinson noted that he hadn’t asked for any compensation for the designs, but was now looking for a reward: “a Quarter Cask of the public Wine.” The board sent that letter on to Congress. Hopkinson submitted another bill on June 24 for his “drawings and devices.” The first item on the list was “The Naval Flag of the United States.” The price listed was 9 pounds.

The Treasury Board turned down the request in an October 27, 1780, report to Congress. The Board cited several reasons for its action, including the fact that Hopkinson “was not the only person consulted on those exhibitions of Fancy, and therefore cannot claim the sole merit of them and not entitled to the full sum charged.”

Hopkinson’s itemized bill, moreover, is the only contemporary claim that exists for creating the American flag. Although no "Hopkinson flags" exist from the time period, it is believed that his flag contained 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars arranged symetrically on a field of blue. [2]

Francis Hopkinson, who is believed to be a Freemason, provided assistance to the committee that designed the Great Seal of the United States and not the dollar bill. However, the seal is on the back of the US one dollar bill.

He was the father of Joseph Hopkinson, Member of the United States House of Representatives and Federal judge.

• Hopkinson's Congressional Biography
• University of Penn. Archives on Hopkinson