U.S . Senate
What was the position of John Langdon (politician) from Nov 1792 to Dec 1793?
John Langdon ( politician ) John Langdon ( June 26 , 1741September 18 , 1819 ) was a politician from Portsmouth , New Hampshire , and a Founding Father of the United States . He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention , signed the United States Constitution , and was one of the first two United States senators from that state . As a member of the Continental Congress Langdon was an early supporter of the Revolutionary War . He later served in United States Congress for 12 years , including as the first president pro tempore of the Senate , before becoming governor of New Hampshire . He turned down a nomination for Vice Presidential candidate in 1812 . Biography . Early years . Langdons father was a prosperous farmer and local ship builder whose family had emigrated to America before 1660 from Sheviock , Caradon , Cornwall . The Langdons were among the first to settle near the mouth of the Piscataqua River , a settlement which became Portsmouth , one of New Englands major seaports . Langdon attended the local grammar school run by a veteran of the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg against the French at Fortress Louisbourg in New France . After finishing his primary education , he served an apprenticeship as a clerk . He and his older brother , Woodbury Langdon , rejected the opportunity to join in their fathers successful agricultural livelihood and apprenticed themselves to local naval merchants instead . To sea . By age 22 , Langdon was captain of a cargo ship called the Andromache , sailing to the West Indies . Four years later he owned his first merchantman , and would continue over time to acquire a small fleet of vessels engaging in the triangle trade between Portsmouth , the Caribbean , and London . His older brother was even more successful in international trade , and by 1777 both young men were among Portsmouths wealthiest citizens . As revolutionary . British control of the shipping industries greatly hurt Langdons business , motivating him to become a vigorous and prominent supporter of the revolutionary movement in the 1770s . He served on the New Hampshire Committee of Correspondence and a nonimportation committee , and also attended various Patriot assemblies . In 1774 , he participated in the seizure and confiscation of British munitions from Fort William and Mary . Langdon was also one of the Signatories of the Constitution to sign the constitution . Langdon wanted to go to war because he wanted to fight for his freedom . Langdon served as a member of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776 . He resigned in June 1776 to become agent for the Continental forces against the British and superintended the construction of several warships including the Raleigh , the America , and the Ranger , which was captained by John Paul Jones . In 1777 , he equipped an expedition against the British , participating in the Battle of Bennington and commanding Langdons Company of Light Horse Volunteers at Saratoga and in Rhode Island . Founding father . In 1784 he built at Portsmouth the mansion now known as the Governor John Langdon House . Langdon was elected to two terms as President of New Hampshire , once between 1785 and 1786 and again between 1788 and 1789 . He was a member of the Congress of the Confederation in 1787 and became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 , serving as a member of the New Hampshire delegation . Langdon was elected to the U.S . Senate and served from March 4 , 1789 to March 3 , 1801 . He was elected the first President pro tempore of the Senate on April 6 , 1789 , and also served as president pro tempore during the second Congress . During the 1787 constitutional debates in Philadelphia , Langdon spoke out against James Madisons proposed negative on state laws simply because he felt that should the Senate be granted this power and not the House of Representatives , it would hurt the feelings of House members . Langdon was an ardent supporter of the drive to ratify the Constitution of the United States in New Hampshire . On June 21 , 1788 it was ratified by New Hampshire with 57-47 in flavor . He immediately wrote to George Washington to inform him that New Hampshire had become the ninth state which he described as the “Key Stone in the Great Arch . Joshua Atherton , who campaigned against ratification accepted the result and stated “It’s adopted . Let’s try it” . In 1798 , Langdon assisted Oney Judge to evade Burwell Bassett , the nephew of George and Martha Washington , who had intended to kidnap Judge and return her to slavery with the Washingtons . New Hampshire statesman . Langdon later served as a member of the New Hampshire Legislature ( 1801–05 ) , with the last two terms as speaker ; he served as governor from 1805 to 1812 , except for a year between 1809 and 1810 . In 1808 , his niece , Catherine Whipple Langdon , married Edmund Roberts . Langdon declined the nomination to be a candidate for Vice President with James Madison in 1812 , and later retired . He died in Portsmouth in 1819 and was interred at the Langdon Tomb in the North Cemetery . Legacy . The town of Langdon , New Hampshire is named after him , as well as Langdon Street in Madison , Wisconsin , a city with numerous streets named after founding fathers .