Fitzsimons, Thomas, 1741-1811

Thomas Fitzsimons (October 1741 – August 26, 1811) was an Irish-American merchant, slaveholder, and statesman from Philadelphia. He represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States House of Representatives. He was a signatory of the Constitution of the United States and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Born in the Kingdom of Ireland, his family immigrated to Philadelphia in the mid-1750s. Fitzsimons entered a mercantile house as a clerk there, later forming a business partnership with George Meade. Their firm, which specialized in the West Indies trade, successfully operated for over 41 years. When Pennsylvania began mobilizing and organizing a militia to fight the British, Fitzsimons was became involved. He served as captain of a company of home guards, which he raised under the command of Colonel John Caldwalader. Initially, his company served as part of the soldiers who manned posts along the New Jersey coast to defend against invasion. His unit later served as part of the reserve at the 1776 Battle of Trenton. Later in the war, he served on the Pennsylvania Council of Safety and headed a board to oversee the newly formed Pennsylvania Navy. Under this role, he helped organize the strategic resources of Pennsylvania and later provided supplies, ships, and money in support of Pennsylvanian and French forces.

Thomas Fitzsimons entered politics as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783. He was a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1786 until 1795. He was also a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787. Fitzsimons was one of three Catholic signers of the United States Constitution, the others being Daniel Carroll and Charles Carroll of Maryland. After the Constitution was established, he served in the first three sessions of the House of Representatives as a Federalist, where he favored protective tariffs and a strong navy, co-drafting the 1794 law authorizing the original six frigates of the United States Navy. Fitzsimons failed to win re-election in 1794, in part due to public opinion turning against the Federalist Party for its support of the Whisky Rebellion.

Although he never held elective office again, Fitzsimons served in 1798 as head of the committee of merchants overseeing the subscription-loan to build a warship at private expense for use in the Quasi-War. In 1796, FitzSimons, along with James Innes of Virginia, was appointed by President John Adams to serve as one of two American members on the five-man debt commission charged under Article VI of the Jay Treaty with examining the claims of British subjects unable to collect debts incurred by Americans prior to the American Revolution. After withdrawing from politics, Fitzsimons remained active in civic and business affairs. He served as president of Philadelphia's Chamber of Commerce, as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Delaware Insurance Company, and a director of the Bank of North America.

Fitzsimons died in Philadelphia and was buried in the cemetery of St. Mary's Catholic Church there.