SIGNATURE OF WILLIAM TRYON, COLONIAL GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA AND NEW YORK

Autograph signature of William Tryon. N.p., n.d. 1 page, approx. 4 3/4 x 2 in. 

A cut signature from William Tryon (1729-1788), the colonial governor of North Carolina and New York. Tryon was born and raised in England, where he joined the British Army as a lieutenant in 1751. His regiment participated in the Seven Years' War, where, in 1758, Tryon was promoted to lieutenant colonel. 

Around this same time, Tryon married Margaret Wake, who had a connection with Lord Hillsborough and likely helped Tryon secure the position as lieutenant governor of North Carolina in 1764. After the state's governor died the following year, Tryon assumed the role. Due to issues such as his supporting the Stamp Act, his using taxes to build his "palace," having inadequate currency and unequal taxation, the Regulator Movement arose in North Carolina. Matters came to a head in 1771 when Tryon used militias to defeat 2,000 Regulators in the Battle of Alamance, which resulted in Tryon executing seven alleged Regulators. This uprising is considered by some as a precursor to the Revolutionary War. 

Tryon's governorship ended on 30 June 1771, and just over a week later, he became governor of New York. He was in New York for just shy of three years before departing for a trip to England. When he returned the following year, the Revolutionary War was in full swing. He evaded being arrested upon his arrival and later conspired in a plot to kidnap George Washington. By summer 1776, when Admiral Howe landed at New York and placed the province under martial law, Tryon retained his title as governor, albeit with significantly less power.

Tryon was also granted permission to command a loyalist force, in which he was ordered to destroy Connecticut cities Danbury, Fairfield, New Haven and Norwalk. He was heavily condemned for burning and plundering these cities, attacking even the women and children. In 1780, Tryon returned to England, where he directed his regiment in America and even received rank promotions from across the ocean. He died at his home in London in 1788. 

[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]

Signature is tipped to a piece of archival mat board. Hole between first and last names was where a ribbon holding the hanging seal would have been placed.