List of delegates to the Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was initially a convention of delegates from several British American colonies at the height of the American Revolution era, who spoke and acted collectively for the people of the Thirteen Colonies that ultimately became the United States. The term mostly refers to the First Continental Congress of 1774 and the Second Continental Congress of 1775–1781. It also refers to the Congress of the Confederation of 1781–1789, which covers the period following the establishment of American independence with the end of the Revolutionary War. During this period, the Continental Congress served as the chief legislative and executive body of the U.S. government.

The unicameral Congress of the Confederation, officially styled "The United States in Congress Assembled," delegates elected by the legislature of the various states. The Confederation Congress was the immediate successor to the Second Continental Congress; and delegates to it were similarly chosen. Many of the delegates to the initial 1775 session of the Second Continental Congress had also attended the previous First Continental Congress. Altogether, The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress lists 343 men who served as delegates to the Continental Congress in three incarnations from 1774 to 1789; also listed are another 90 persons who were elected as delegates but never served.

Background Convened in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament earlier that year, the 56 delegates to the First Continental Congress sought to help repair the frayed relationship between the British government and its American colonies. They passed the Continental Association, an economic boycott of Great Britain, and petitioned the king for a redress of grievances. They also resolved to reconvene in May 1775 if necessary.

Delegates from the various colonies did indeed reconvene for a Second Continental Congress as scheduled, but by the time they gathered, the Revolutionary War had begun. Moderates in the Congress still hoped that the colonies could be reconciled with Great Britain, but a movement towards independence steadily gained ground. At this juncture Congress simultaneously sent an Olive Branch Petition to King George III, hoping for a rapprochement, and issued a Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which contained the words "Our cause is just. Our union is perfect... being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves...".

Congress functioned as a de facto national government from the outset by establishing the Continental Army, directing strategy, and appointing diplomats. It eventually adopted the Lee Resolution which established the new country on July 2, 1776, and it agreed to the Declaration of Independence two days later.

Afterward, the Congress functioned as the provisional government of the United States through March 1, 1781. During this period, in addition to successfully managing the war effort, its primary achievements included: drafting the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. Constitution; securing diplomatic recognition and support from foreign nations; and resolving state land claims west of the Appalachian Mountains. When the Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states, the Continental Congress became the Congress of the Confederation, which helped guide the new nation through the final stages of the Revolutionary War. Under the Articles, the Confederation Congress had limited power. It could declare war, sign treaties, and settle disputes between the states. It could also borrow or print money, but did not have the power to tax; nor could it compel the individual states to comply with its decisions. It convened in eight sessions (a ninth failed to achieve a quorum) prior to being supplanted in 1789, when the United States Congress became the nation's legislative branch of government under a new Constitution.

Article V of the Articles of Confederation Article V of the Articles of Confederation for the annual election of delegates to Congress by legislatures of the various states to terms that commenced on the first Monday in November, in every year. Each state could send 2–7 delegates, and no person was permitted to serve as a delegate for more than three years within a span of six years. State legislatures also had the authority to recall or to replace its delegates at any time. Prior to 1781, delegates to the Continental Congress served at the pleasure of the state legislature that commissioned them; neither term limits nor specific start–end–date of service existed.

Elected delegates who participated

The following tables list the 343 people who served in Congress: 1st Continental, 2nd Continental, or Confederation, between 1774 and 1789, as well as the year(s) of their active participation.

Connecticut + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1778 1784–1785; 1787–1788 1774 1775–1776 1774 1775–1779 1782–1783 1788 1778–1781 1781–1783 1778 1780 1782–1783; 1788 1776; 1778–1781 1781; 1783 1785–1787 1777 1781–1782 1785–1788 1778–1781 1781–1782 1774 1775–1781 1781; 1783–1784 1779 1786 1784 1788 1776–1777 1776–1778; 1781 1781–1783 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Delaware + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1783–1785 1779 1782–1783 1787–1788 1783–1784 1774 1775–1776; 1778–1781 1781–1782 1787–1788 1786 1786 1774 1775–1777 1774 1775–1776 1781–1782; 1786 1777 1783–1784 1777–1781 1781 1784–1785 1782–1783 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Georgia + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1785; 1787–1788 1777 1775 1780–1781 1781–1782; 1786–1788 1784 1776 1785 1775–1777 1775 1784–1786 1780–1781 1781 1781–1782 1777–1779 1778; 1780–1781 1781–1782 1778; 1780–1781 1781–1782 1776–1777; 1780–1781 1781 1778 1777–1778 1775 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Maryland + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1776 1778–1779 1776–1777 1776; 1777–1778; 1780 1781–1783 1783–1784 1774 1775–1778 1784; 1785 1788 1778–1780 1787 1774 1775–1776 1775 1780–1781 1781–1782 1786 1782–1783 1778–1780 1785–1786 1785–1786 1788 1779; 1780–1781 1781 1774 1775–1777 1783 1783–1784 1783–1785 1774 1775–1779 1778–1780 1781 1786–1787 1775–1776 1787–1789 1776–1777 1788 1777 1775–1776; 1778 1784 1774 1775–1776 1782 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Massachusetts Bay + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1774 1775–1777 1774 1775–1781 1781 1774 1775–1776 1777–1778 1784 1785–1788 1776–1780 1783–1785 1782–1783; 1785–1787 1775–1778 1783 1778–1780 1783–1785; 1787 1782 1784–1787 1777–1781 1781–1782 1782 1781–1784 1787–1788 1774 1775–1776 1779–1781 1781–1785 1785–1786; 1788 1787–1789 1780–1781 1781 Source (unless otherwise noted):

New Hampshire + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1775–1776; 1778 1784 1774 1777–1780 1783–1785 1777–1779 1782–1783 1787–1789 1775–1776 1787 1779 1780–1781 1781–1782; 1785–1786 1785–1786 1779–1780 1774 1775–1775; 1780–1781 1781 1776–1777 1778 1776–1779 1782–1783 1788 Source (unless otherwise noted):

New Jersey + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1784–1785 1778 1781–1783 1780–1781 1781 1785–1787 1776–1778; 1780–1781 1781–1783; 1786–1788 1781–1783 1774 1775–1776 1787–1788 1774 1775–1776 1784–1785 1777–1778 1781–1783; 1787–1788 1778–1780 1778–1779 1782–1783 1776 1776 1785–1786 1779–1781 1784–1785 1774 1775 1774 1775–1776 1786–1787 1778–1779 1776–1777 1774 1775–1776 1784 1784–1785 1776 1785–1786 1776–1781 1781–1782 Source (unless otherwise noted):

New York + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1774 1775–1776 1784; 1787–1788 1774 1775 1775–1776 1784 1774 1775–1781 1781–1783 1777–1778 1774 1775–1776; 1779–1781 1781–1783 1788 1789 1782–1783; 1788 1774 1785–1787 1774 1775–1778 1785 1785–1787 1775–1779 1779–1781 1781–1783; 1788 1774 1775–1778 1775–1776; 1779–1780 1784 1784–1785 1774 1781 1778–1779 1775–1777 1784 1789 1785–1786 1775; 1777; 1779–1780 1780; 1782 1781–1783 1785–1787 1774 1775–1776 1787–1788 1786 Source (unless otherwise noted):

North Carolina + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1787 1786 1782–1783; 1786–1787 1777–1781 1781 1787 1774 1775 1785 1777–1779 1781–1783; 1787 1774 1775–1776; 1779 1778–1780 1774 1775–1777 1780–1781 1781 1779–1780 1780 1782–1783 1775–1780 1779–1781 1781 1785 1783–1785 1788 1786–1788 1778–1779 1782–1785; 1787–1788 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Pennsylvania + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1775–1776 1779–1780 1787–1788 1778–1781 1781–1782 1785–1786 1774 1775 1786–1788 1777–1779 1776–1777; 1780–1781 1781–1782 1788–1789 1774 1775–1776 1782–1783 1775–1776 1774 1784–1785 1783–1784 1784–1785 1774 1775–1776 1780 1787–1788 1785–1786 1780 1779–1780 1786–1788 1774 1775 1782–1784 1782–1784 1780–1781 1781–1782 1783–1784 1775–1778 1774 1775–1776 1779–1780 1782–1783 1785–1787 1778 1787–1789 1774 1777–1779 1774 1775–1777 1776–1777 1778–1780 1778–1780 1776–1778 1778 1781–1782 1786–1787 1776 1775–1776 1775–1777 1782–1783; 1785–1787 1779–1781 1781–1782 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1782–1783 1787–1788 1778–1780 1782–1783 1780–1781 1781–1782 1776–1781 1781–1785 1789 1788 1774 1775–1776 1782–1785 1786 1777–1779 1786 1780–1781 1781–1782 1780–1781 1781; 1787 1774 1775–1776 Source (unless otherwise noted):

South Carolina + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1789 1780–1781 1781–1782 1783–1784 1784–1787 1787 1778–1779 1781–1782 1774 1775–1776 1782–1783 1776–1778 1786–1788 1778–1779 1782–1783 1785–1787 1780 1777–1780 1774 1775–1776 1775–1776 1778–1781 1781 1776–1777 1781–1782 1774 1775 1780–1781 1781–1782 1786–1788 1785–1787 1782–1783, 1785–1786 1783–1785 1774 1775–1776 1774 1775–1776 1782–1783 1787–1788 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Virginia + Name 1st ContinentalCongress 2nd ContinentalCongress ConfederationCongress 1778–1779 1778 1774 1775 1780–1781 1781–1783 1776 1787–1788 1786–1788 1788–1789 1779 1779 1784–1787 1778–1780 1787–1788 1783–1785 1774 1775–1778 1777–1778 1780 1774 1775 1775–1776 1783–1784 1777; 1780–1781 1781–1783 1782–1784 1775–1779 1786–1788 1774 1775–1779 1784–1785; 1787 1780–1781 1781–1783; 1787–1788 1779 1783–1784 1783–1786 1775–1777; 1779 1777 1774 1775 1779 1781–1782 1774 1775 1778; 1780–1781 1781 1780 1774 1775 1775–1776 Source (unless otherwise noted):

Elected delegates who did not participate The following table lists the 90 people who were elected to Congress: 1st Continental, 2nd Continental, or Confederation, between 1774 and 1789, but who did not participate, as well as the year(s) of their election.