Answer: Timothy Matlack

Timothy Matlack (1730-1829) was a delegate to the Continental Convention from Pennsylvania. He was born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and he attended Quaker schools in Haddonfield and Philadelphia. He worked for a time as a brewer and beer bottler in Philadelphia, and he served with several military units during the Revolution where he participated in the battles of Trenton (1776) and Princeton (1777).

Matlack also held several political posts during his life. He was a member of the provincial conference held at Philadelphia in1775, a delegate to the convention of 1776, secretary of state under the new constitution, a member of the committee of safety in 1776, and a member of the Continental Congress in 1780. His turn as the man who literally wrote the Declaration of Independence came when he was elected clerk of the Second Continental Congress. His handwritten copy of the famous document is housed by and on view at the National Archives in Washington, D. C.

There are no known caches of Matlack's papers, though HSP does have some letters by him scattered in the Dreer (#175), Gratz (#250A, #250B) and Society (#22) autograph collections. Our library, however, contains a number of published works on Matlack, including Timothy Matlack: Scribe of the Declaration of Independence (call number E 302.6 .M46 C64 2013).