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Revolutionary War Document Signed, GEORGE BRYAN

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1780 Revolutionary War £15,000 Pay Order For George Bryan As Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania

GEORGE BRYAN, Lieutenant-Governor of Pennsylvania, 1777-1779.
February 4, 1780 Revolutionary War dated original Manuscript Document Signed, "Geo. Bryan," at Philadelphia, PA, Very Good. The document is an oblong, 5.25" x 8" page, with some toning and a tear repaired along the horizontal fold with cellophane tape. This is a pay order, addressed to David Rittenhouse, to pay "the Honorable George Bryan... the Sum of fifteen Thousand Pounds..." Bryan's signature appears three times on the back, and twice on the front--as having received the money on behalf of the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. The signatures on the back are affected by cellophane tape repair, with the tip of one of the lower signatures chipped away. A huge amount of money to fund the University of Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War.

George Bryan (1731-1791) was born in Dublin, Ireland, and came to Philadelphia in 1752. As an active Presbyterian, Bryan in the late 1750s and early 1760s played a role in trying to hold together two factions that had emerged during the Great Awakening. This struggle led him into provincial politics where he fought the proprietors and the strong Quaker faction that sought to make Pennsylvania a royal colony. When the Stamp Act was pased in 1765, Bryan helped resist the oppressive act by joining other Philadelphia merchants in signing the Non-Importation agreement. This action likely contributed to his bankruptcy in 1771. After Pennsylvania adopted a new state constitution in 1776, he became an advocate of the radical unicameral government. In the new government, Bryan served from 1777-1779 as Vice-President of the Supreme Executive Council (the equivalent of lieutenant-governor). In 1779 he was appointed a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

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