John Penn (North Carolina politician)
John Penn (May 17, 1741 September 14, 1788) was a Founding Father of the United States who signed both the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a delegate of North Carolina. Biography. Penn was born near Port Royal in Caroline County, Virginia, the only son of Moses Penn and Catherine (Taylor) Penn. He attended at common school for two years as his father did not consider education to be important. At age 18, after his father's death, Penn privately read law with his uncle, Edmund Pendleton. He became a  lawyer in Virginia in 1762. On July 28, 1763, Penn married Susannah Lyne. The couple had three children. Their daughter, Lucy, married John Taylor of Caroline, a political leader from Virginia. In 1774, Penn moved to the Stovall, North Carolina. There, he was a representative at the colony's Third Provincial Congress in August 1775. He was elected to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1780 as a delegate of North Carolina. During his tenure, he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Following his appointment to the Congress, he practiced law until his death in 1788 . Legacy. The naval ship USS "John Penn" was named in his honor. A historical highway marker honoring Penn was erected in near his home in Stovall in 1936; it was the first such marker erected by the state of North Carolina.