Hugh Williamson

Williamson, Hugh (1735–1819), U.S. scientist, doctor, and politician of the American Revolutionary period. A doctor in Philadelphia, Williamson actually assisted in some of Benjamin Franklin's experiments in electricity. Elected to the North Carolina legislature (1782), he served in the Congress of the Confederation (1782–85, 1787–89), and was a North Carolina delegate to the Constitutional Convention (1787) and a signer of the Constitution. After 2 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1789–93), he retired from politics to pursue science and writing.