Hopkinson

lege of Philadelphia. Among his contempora-
ries he was distinguished for public spirit, good
sense, and integrity. On Sept. 9, 1736, he was
married to Mary Johnson, daughter of Baldwin
Johnson, an Englishman of distinguished fam-
ily. Francis was the eldest of eight children, two
of whom died in infancy. He was the first stu-
dent to enroll in the Academy of Philadelphia,
which opened in 1751, and six years later he re-
ceived the first diploma granted by the College
of Philadelphia. After his graduation from col-
lege he studied law under Benjamin Chew, at-
torney-general of the province, and in April
1761 he was admitted to the supreme court of
Pennsylvania. In November 1763 he was ap-
pointed collector of customs at Salem, N. J. He
attempted to build up a conveyancing business
but was apparently not very successful, for in
the summer of 1766 he sailed for England to
seek political preferment through the influence
of friends and relatives there. He visited Frank-
lin and Benjamin West in London and was hos-
pitably entertained at Hartlebury Castle by his
mother's cousin, the Bishop of Worcester. Lord
North, a relative by marriage, showed a disposi-
tion to befriend him but was unable to do so at
once because offices in America were being re-
served for those who had suffered by the repeal
of the Stamp Act Consequently Hopkinson,
after a year abroad, came home without the cov-
eted office.

Being talented musically, Hopkinson in 1754
took up the study of the harpsichord, and by Jan-
uary 1757 he had become proficient enough to
appear at the College in a public performance.
This was the presentation of Thomson and Mal-
let's Alfred, a Masque, revised for the occasion.
Hopkinson probably helped with the revision
and composed some original music for the affair.
In 1759 he set to music Thomas Parnell's "Love
and Innocence/* which he renamed "My Days
Have Been So Wondrous Free/' and in 1763 he
published a collection of Psalm tunes, followed
two years later by a translation of the Psalter for
the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of New
York City. He also displayed literary ambitions
by writing numerous poems, many of which ap-
peared in the American Magazine in 1757 and
1758. Of these the most interesting are "The
Treaty" (1761), an Indian poem; two "Exer-
cises" presented at the College in 1761 and 1762;
"Science" (1762), a poem foretelling a glorious
future for the College; and "Dirtilla" (1772),
a humorous poem. On Sept. I, 1768, Hopkinson
was married to Ann Borden, daughter of Col.
Joseph Borden, the leading citizen of Borden-
town, N. J. In the meantime he had opened

Hopkinson

a shop in which he sold drygoods imported from
England. On May i, 1772, he became collec-
tor of customs at New Castle on Delaware,
but ^ he apparently was still dissatisfied with his
position and prospects, for about a year and a
half later he removed to Bordentown. Here he
returned to the law, in which he rose rapidly. In
1774 he was appointed a member of the gov-
ernor's council and in 1776 he was elected to the
Continental Congress.

Hopkinson's literary ambitions were revived
in 1775 by the appearance of the Pennsylvania
Magazine, to which he contributed verses, old
and new, and a series of Addisonian essays. Of
the latter the most interesting are one entitled
"A New Plan of Education" and three on the
joys and sorrows of bachelorhood. He showed
much promise in this field, but the leisurely ca-
reer of a literary essayist was not for him. July
1776 saw the end of the magazine and brought
him new and serious responsibilities. At the be-
ginning of the conflict with England Hopkinson
came out openly for the Whigs. In September
1774 he began his long career as a political sati-
rist by publishing A Pretty Story, which records
in allegory the history of the quarrel down to the
appointment of General Gage as governor of
Massachusetts. This work is reminiscent of
Swift and Arbuthnot, but it has original quali-
ties : it presents the grievances of America with-
out exaggeration, and it has a style that is vigor-
ous without being ill-natured. Other essays fol-
lowed, the most important of which was "A
Prophecy/' written before the Declaration of
Independence, and predicting that event. On
June 28, 1776, Hopkinson arrived in Philadel-
phia to represent New Jersey in the Continental
Congress. He voted for and signed the Declara-
tion of Independence. From November 1776 to
August 1778 he was chairman of the Continental
Navy Board; from July 1778 to July 1781 he
held the office of treasurer of loans; and in July
1779 he became judge of admiralty for Pennsyl-
vania. His responsibilities in these offices were
great, and his vexations were numerous. When
the British were in possession of Philadelphia,
they plundered his house at Bordentown. A
quarrel with the Board of Treasury, in which he
was not the aggressor, caused him to resign his
position as treasurer of loans; and the disciplin-
ing of a subordinate in the court of admiralty led
to an impeachment trial in which he was ac-
quitted.

During the war Hopkinson was an active pam-
phleteer. In A Letter to Lord Howe (i777) he
protested against brutality to non-combatants;
in A Letter Written by a Foreigner (i?77) he

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