The Resume

(December 2, 1729-May 19, 1795)
Born in Amesbury, Massachusetts
Physician and statesman
Delegate to the Continental Congress (1775-78)
Signed the Declaration of Independence
Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1788-90)
Governor of New Hampshire (1790-94)

Why he might be annoying:

He married his first cousin.
He was appointed as a judge despite a lack of legal training.
The New Hampshire legislature chose him to be one of the state’s first two Senators, but he turned down the office (1788).

Why he might not be annoying:

His house was burned down by Loyalists to the British Crown (1774).
He was the first delegate at the Continental Congress to vote in favor of declaring independence from Britain.
He served as the doctor for the New Hampshire militia during the Battle of Bennington (1777).
He was a founder and the first president of the New Hampshire Medical Society.
Josiah Bartlet, the President in The West Wing, is named after him (and is a fictional direct descendant).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Breeders [Have 5 or More Kids] (Ranked: 10)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 68]
• Freemasons
• I Named My Kid After Myself
• Judges
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• My House Burned Down
• Oops, I Married My Relative
• Profiles 43751-43954 (Ranked: 43775)
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence
• U.S. Governors

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 22 Votes: 40.91% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 30 Votes: 46.67% Annoying