Joseph Reed ( jurist ) Joseph Reed ( August 27 , 1741 – March 5 , 1785 ) was a lawyer , military officer and statesman of the Revolutionary Era who lived the majority of his life in Pennsylvania , United States . He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and , while in Congress , signed the Articles of Confederation . He served as President of Pennsylvania ' s Supreme Executive Council , a position analogous to the modern office of Governor . Early life . Reed was born in Trenton , New Jersey , the son of Andrew Reed , a shopkeeper and merchant , and Theodosia Bowes . His brother , Bowes Reed ( 1740 – 1794 ) , would serve as a colonel in the Revolutionary War and as Secretary of State of New Jersey . The family moved to Philadelphia shortly after Reed ' s birth and , as a boy , Reed was enrolled at Philadelphia Academy ( later to be known as the University of Pennsylvania ) . He received his bachelor ' s degree from the College of New Jersey ( later known as Princeton University ) in 1757 and , soon after , began his professional education under Richard Stockton . In the summer of 1763 , Reed sailed for England , where , for two years , he continued his studies in law at Middle Temple in London . During the course of his studies , Reed became romantically attached to Esther de Berdt , the daughter of the agent for the Province of Massachusetts Bay , Dennis de Berdt . De Berdt , though very fond of Reed , was aware of the law student ' s intention to return to Philadelphia and initially refused consent for Esther to marry Reed . Reed returned to the Colonies with only a tenuous engagement to Esther , and with an understanding that he would return to settle permanently in Great Britain shortly after . After the death of his father , Reed finally returned to London to find that Esther ' s father had died during Reed ' s return trip to Britain . Reed and Esther married in May 1770 at Saint Luke ' s , Cripplegate , near the City of London . Finding the de Berdt family in financial difficulties , Reed remained in London long enough to help settle his wife ' s family ' s affairs . Together with the widowed Mrs . de Berdt , Esther and Reed sailed for North America in October of 1770 . Political career . At the beginning of the Revolutionary War , Reed ran a successful Philadelphia law practice , from which he resigned at the request of George Washington . In 1775 , Reed held the rank of colonel and he subsequently served in the capacity of secretary and aide - de - camp to Washington . On October 20 , 1775 , Reed wrote a famous letter to Colonel John Glover of the " Marblehead Men " Regiment of seamen in the Continental Army , setting the design of the First Navy Flag , the Evergreen Tree of Liberty flag . Colonel Glover was the owner of the " Hannah " vessel ( named for his wife ) and was the action officer , along with Stephen Moylan , for commissioning the other First Navy ships ( " Franklin " , " Hancock " , " Harrison " , " Lee " , " Lynch " , " Warren " , and " Washington " ) , often called the " Washington Cruisers " . Reed wrote : " What do you think of a Flag with a white Ground , a tree in the middle , the motto : " Appeal to Heaven " . " In 1775 , Reed commenced service as Adjutant - General of the Continental Army . In December 1776 , General Washington , anxious to know the location of General Charles Lee ' s forces , opened a letter from Lee to Reed which indicated that they were both questioning Washington ' s abilities . This was extremely disconcerting to Washington , as Reed was one of his most trusted officers . Reed continued to serve in the army without pay until the close of the war ; although , with fewer than 3 years in the Continental Army , Reed is not listed as a Propositi of the Society of the Cincinnati . Though he took part in many military engagements in the northern and eastern theaters of the war , Reed was never wounded . In 1777 , Reed was offered the positions of brigadier general and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania , both of which he declined . He was elected to Congress in 1778 , whilst also serving as President ( Governor ) in Pennsylvania . Reed has been recognized for his integrity , and when offered a bribe of £10 , 000 sterling , as well as the most valuable office in the colonies , to promote the cause of colonial reconciliation with the British crown , Reed ' s reply was , " I am not worth purchasing ; but , such as I am , the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it . " As a delegate to the Continental Congress , Reed accused Arnold of military malpractice whilst the latter was in command at Philadelphia . The subsequent trial largely exonerated Arnold and received strong opposition from other members of Congress . In 1778 , Reed was one of the five delegates from Pennsylvania to sign the Articles of Confederation . On December 1 , 1778 , he was elected President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania , a position analogous to the modern office of governor . Reed received 61 of the 63 votes and assumed office immediately . George Bryan , acting president since the death of Thomas Wharton on 23 May 1778 , received only one vote for President , but was re - elected to the Vice - Presidency with an overwhelming majority similar to Reed ' s final tally . Reed was re - elected to the Presidency twice - on November 11 , 1779 and November 14 , 1780 - each time defeating William Moore , with a final count of 59 to 1 at the second election . Reed ' s third and final term came to a close on November 15 , 1781 , when he was eventually succeeded by William Moore . Reed ' s antipathy to Pennsylvania ' s Loyalist residents has been well attested by historic sources . Whilst in Congress , he advocated for the seizure of Loyalist properties and treason charges for those aligned with Great Britain ( Reed and his family then lived in a confiscated Loyalist home ) . In an overall sense , Congress regarded the Loyalist citizens in a more tolerant manner . As the President of Pennsylvania , Reed oversaw numerous trials of suspected Loyalists . After James Wilson defended 23 people accused of treason , a mob , stirred up by Reed ' s speeches and their own liquor consumption , attacked Wilson in what was to be later known as the " Battle of Fort Wilson " ; only the arrival of cavalry saved Wilson and his friends . Following the cavalry ' s handling of the conflict , Reed pardoned and released the remaining rioters . Reed ' s term as President of Pennsylvania corresponded with the transformation of America ' s wartime fortunes from desolation , at Valley Forge from December 1777 to May 1778 , into victory , at Yorktown on October 19 , 1781 . Working with James Madison in the Continental Congress , Reed passed a bill that resulted in the surrounding of Charles Cornwallis ' army . Once the bill was validated , General Anthony Wayne gathered the resources that were necessary for the Pennsylvania Line to march to Yorktown to engage in the historic siege . Significant political achievements . During his term as president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania , in addition to prosecuting Benedict Arnold , Reed oversaw the abolishment of slavery in Pennsylvania and the awarding of Revolutionary soldiers with lifelong " half - pay " . Death . In 1784 , Reed visited England with the hope of improving his health but was not successful . He returned to Pennsylvania and died in Philadelphia on March 5 , 1785 , aged 43 .