Rutledge

Rutledge, family of U.S. politicians. John Rutledge (1739–1800) was a U.S. politician and jurist. Active in South Carolina politics, he was twice delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–76, 1782–83) and a delegate to the 1787 Federal Constitutional Convention. He helped frame South Carolina's constitution (1776) and was governor from 1779 to 1782. Rutledge served as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1789–91), but George Washington's nomination of him for chief justice (1795) was not confirmed by the Senate. His brother Edward Rutledge (1749–1800) was delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–76), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and South Carolina governor (1798–1800).