Our July Round Table welcomed our special guest, Mark Di Vincenzo, author of, Button Gwinnett: America’s Accidental Founding Father. Below is a summary of our discussion.
Di Vincenzo’s interest in Gwinnett began during a walking tour in Savannah, where a guide noted that Gwinnett’s burial place in a local cemetery was a mystery. Di Vincenzo discovered that the only existing full-length biography of Gwinnett, published in 1926 by Charles Francis Jenkins, portrayed him as a true patriot—an image Di Vincenzo’s research suggested was inaccurate. Because the historical record for Gwinnett is "skimpy," Di Vincenzo aimed to provide a more nuanced, thorough, and updated account of a man who is primarily remembered today for having one of the most valuable signatures in American history.
The Value of the Signature
Early Life in England
Button Gwinnett was born in 1735 in Down Hatherley, Gloucestershire, a "wool town" near the Welsh border. His father was a vicar, and the family was established enough that Gwinnett did not have to work in the local wool mills. However, his parents did not consider him "college material," unlike his older brother, which Di Vincenzo argues set him on an unstable financial path for the rest of his life. Instead of higher education, Gwinnett was placed in several apprenticeships: first with an uncle who was a grocer in Bristol, and later with an ironmonger in Wolverhampton.
It was in Wolverhampton that he met his wife, Ann, whom their marriage certificate interestingly listed as a "22-year-old spinster"—a term used at the time for any unmarried woman of that age. While some historical records suggested Ann brought a massive dowry of £10,000 (millions in today’s currency), Di Vincenzo expresses doubt about this amount, noting that Gwinnett was "always scrambling for money" and lacked the business acumen to maintain wealth. Gwinnett’s primary motivation throughout his early adulthood was to prove to his parents that he could succeed without the education they had denied him.
Migration to Georgia and the "Social Experiment"
Gwinnett’s business ventures as a transatlantic trader eventually failed, leading him to move to Savannah, Georgia, in 1765. At the time, Georgia was a relatively new and unique colony, established as a "social experiment". Parliament had initially banned slavery in Georgia, intending for white settlers to perform all labor, including clearing forests and planting crops. By the time Gwinnett arrived, this experiment was ending, as many settlers believed they could not compete with the rice-growing economy of South Carolina without enslaved labor.
The end of the Seven Years’ War also made Georgia more attractive to immigrants like Gwinnett. The colony had previously been a dangerous "no man's land" between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida, but with Florida becoming British, the threat of Spanish invasion evaporated. To encourage growth, the Georgia government gave away large tracts of land on the condition that owners developed it. Gwinnett eventually acquired 11,000 acres, which granted him the social status and respect necessary to hold local offices, such as commissioner of the waterways and justice of the peace. Despite his status as a large landowner, he remained financially unsuccessful, eventually losing his land and home to creditors, though he still owned 61 slaves at the time of his death.
The "Accidental" Revolutionary
One of Di Vincenzo’s most striking claims is that Gwinnett had no initial interest in the independence movement or public service. Unlike figures such as Samuel Adams, who were driven by ideology, Gwinnett was "obsessed with making money". His entry into politics was largely motivated by a need for a steady paycheck.
In 1775, Georgia’s political situation was chaotic. The colony was viewed as cozy with England, even sending a loyalist minister, John Zubly, to the Second Continental Congress. Under pressure to send a pro-independence delegation in 1776, Georgia leaders sought candidates. Gwinnett’s primary goal at the time was to become a colonel in the Georgia militia, a position with a reliable salary. However, because he had zero military experience, he was rejected for the post in favor of Lachlan McIntosh, a man with significant military background. As a "consolation prize," Gwinnett was sent to Philadelphia as a delegate to Congress, provided he promised to vote for independence.
Gwinnett arrived in Philadelphia on May 20, 1776, and met John Adams. Adams knew Gwinnett’s companion, Lyman Hall, was a patriot, but he was unfamiliar with Gwinnett and was primarily concerned with whether Gwinnett would support the vote for independence. Gwinnett stayed in Philadelphia for only ten weeks. He signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776, and left the city that very same day.
Rise to Power in Georgia
Gwinnett rushed back to Savannah to take credit for a $60,000 congressional allocation for Georgia’s defense, despite having no clear connection to the funding. This made him a "hometown hero" and facilitated his rapid ascent in the state legislature, where he became Speaker of the House. He is also largely credited with overseeing the creation of Georgia’s state constitution. Di Vincenzo notes that while John Adams was passing out templates for constitutions to various delegates, the Georgia document had distinct differences from others, suggesting Gwinnett and his colleagues put their own stamp on it.
In early 1777, the President of Georgia, Archibald Bulloch, died suddenly at age 46. Although there was speculation and conspiracy theories regarding poisoning—with some even looking toward Gwinnett—there is no historical proof of foul play. Following Bulloch’s death, the executive council appointed Gwinnett as the acting governor.
The Rivalry with Lachlan McIntosh
As governor, Gwinnett used his power to strike back at his political and personal enemies, most notably the McIntosh family. He had long-standing resentment toward Lachlan McIntosh, who had secured the military positions Gwinnett coveted. Gwinnett ordered the arrest of McIntosh’s brother, George, on charges of treason for allegedly selling rice to the British in Florida.
The tension peaked during a planned military expedition to British Florida. As acting governor, Gwinnett tried to bypass General McIntosh and command the campaign himself, despite having no military rank. He refused to speak with McIntosh and attempted to issue orders to McIntosh’s subordinates. The expedition was a failure, and the two men were eventually called back to Savannah by the legislature for a hearing. During these proceedings, Gwinnett lost his bid for reappointment as governor. Emboldened, McIntosh publicly called Gwinnett a "liar and a scoundrel".
The Fatal Duel
In response to the public insult, Gwinnett challenged McIntosh to a duel. Di Vincenzo highlights the irony of the challenge: McIntosh had grown up with a gun in his hand, as his clan had been brought to Georgia specifically to serve as a military buffer against the Spanish.
The duel took place in a cow pasture on the east side of Savannah in May 1777. The participants stood only 10 to 12 feet apart. Both men fired simultaneously, and both were hit in the leg. Gwinnett’s thigh was broken, and he fell to the ground. McIntosh, also bleeding, reportedly asked if Gwinnett wanted to continue, but the "seconds" intervened to stop the fight. While McIntosh eventually recovered, Gwinnett developed gangrene and died three days later on May 19, 1777, at the age of 42. He was the second signer of the Declaration of Independence to die.
Aftermath and Legacy
Gwinnett’s death did not cool political tensions in Georgia; instead, they intensified. Although dueling was technically illegal, it was a common way for "gentlemen" to settle disputes, and participants were rarely arrested. However, Gwinnett’s radical patriot supporters pushed for McIntosh’s arrest. McIntosh was tried and acquitted but was eventually forced to leave the state, later serving under George Washington at Fort Pitt.
Gwinnett left behind a widow, Ann, and one surviving daughter. Ann wrote to John Hancock multiple times asking for financial support from Congress, claiming her husband had been devoted to the country, but she received nothing. Because of Gwinnett’s massive debts, Ann received very little from his estate—only 50 pounds, a horse, and one enslaved servant. Gwinnett has no direct descendants today, as his only surviving daughter died at 23 without children.
Di Vincenzo concludes that Gwinnett remains an enigma. There are no known portraits of him; any images found online are speculative, and the face on the cover of Di Vincenzo's book is intentionally blurred to reflect this fact. Ultimately, Gwinnett is characterized as a "reluctant" or "apathetic" revolutionary—an opportunist who represented the roughly 35-40% of the colonial population that was largely indifferent to the cause of independence until it served their personal or financial interests.
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