Generations of American Leaders: Revolutionary-Era Leadership

Revolutionary-Era Leadership

For the revolutionary era prior to 1789, we present the following generational breakdowns.

Revolutionary-Era Leaders of the United States
Leader Category	Awakening			Liberty			Republican			Total
Leader Category	n	%	Avg. Age	n	%	Avg. Age	n	%	Avg. Age	n	%	Avg. Age
Colonial Delegates to the Stamp Act Congress (New York City; October 7–25, 1765)	14	52	51	13	48	36	0	0	n/a	27	100	44
Known Members of the Boston Tea Party Riot (Boston; December 16, 1773)	1	1	57	15	19	39	62	79	23	78	100	27
Signers of the Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia; July–August, 1776)	11	20	61	35	63	44	10	18	32	56	100	45
Signers of the U.S. Constitution (Philadelphia; September 17, 1787)	4	10	69	13	33	52	22	56	37	39	100	46
Revolutionary-Era Governors (%)
1775		80			10			10			100
1777		33			67			0			100
1779		25			50			25			100
1781		23			62			15			100
1783		23			77			0			100
1785		23			77			0			100
1787		23			62			15			100
Delegates to the Continental Congress at End of Year (%)
1775		22			66			12			100
1777		17			58			25			100
1779		16			61			22			100
1781		13			53			34			100
1783		5			47			48			100
1785		0			43			57			100
1787		2			24			75			100

Presidents of the Continental Congress
Name	Generation	Lifespan	State	Term	Age
Peyton Randolph	Awakening	1721–1775	VA	1774, 1775	53, 54
Henry Middleton	Awakening	1717–1784	SC	1774–1775	57–58
John Hancock	Liberty	1737–1793	MA	1775–1777	38–40
Henry Laurens	Liberty	1724–1792	SC	1777–1778	53–54
John Jay	Republican	1745–1829	NY	1778–1779	33–34
Samuel Huntington	Liberty	1731–1796	CT	1779–1781	48–50
Thomas McKean	Liberty	1734–1817	DE	1781	47
John Hanson	Awakening	1721–1783	MD	1781–1782	60–61
Elias Boudinot	Liberty	1740–1821	NJ	1782–1783	42–43
Thomas Mifflin	Republican	1744–1800	PA	1783–1784	39–40
Richard Henry Lee	Liberty	1732–1794	VA	1784–1786	52–54
Nathaniel Gorham	Liberty	1738–1796	MA	1786–1787	48–49
Arthur St. Clair	Liberty	1736–1818	PA	1787–1788	51–52
Cyrus Griffin	Republican	1748–1810	VA	1788–1789	40–41