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Samuel Huntington Medallion
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© Stanley L. Klos has a worldwide copyright on the artwork in these Medallions not legal tender.

 Medallion Obverse: Samuel Huntington of Connecticut  was elected President of the Continental Congress on September 28, 1779 and by virtue of the ratification of the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781 he became President of the United States, in Congress Assembled serving until  July 6, 1781. He was born on July 16, 1731 at Scotland, Connecticut, the son of a Puritan farmer. The date of July 16th differs from the official Congressional Biography as during the restoration of the Huntington tomb a 207 year old plaque was discovered with the bodies stating: "His Excellency Samuel Huntington Esq. Governor of the State of Connecticut was born July 16th AD 1731and died January 5th AD 1796 aged 64 years."  During Huntington's Presidency the United States experience the military losses of Savanna, Charleston, numerous troop mutinies, Benedict Arnold's betrayal, the burning of Richmond and former Continental Congress President, Henry Middleton taking the King's oath of allegiance  in South Carolina.  President Huntington, through painstaking diplomacy, encouragement and a firm commitment to independence, successfully persuaded the States to meet their necessary quotas of men, dollars and provisions that allowed Washington and his generals to carry on  the war. Samuel Huntington then re-focused on Maryland; the last State to ratify the Constitution of 1777 as  France was threatening to withdraw its troops and Navy believing the union was falling apart.  This failure to ratify the constitution was a slippery slope that had undermined the Revolutionary War effort for almost four years.  Huntington prevailed, the Constitution of 1777 was ratified and seven months later French and American troops would trap General Cornwallis in Yorktown Virginia effectively ending the  War. For more information visit www.samuelhuntington.org.

Born in a Tavern and ending in a Tavern The United States Founding governments
occupied 11 different capitol buildings experienced 15 years of challenges that included war,
hyper-inflation, a failed constitution, judicial corruption, armed citizen and U.S. Army rebellion. 

 Medallion Reverse:  Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia was the Capitol Building from May 10, 1775 to December 12, 1776 and March 12, 1777 to September 18, 1777 and then again July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783. It is located on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets in Philadelphia. Now known as Independence Hall, this red brick building was built between 1732 and 1753 as the colonial seat for the Province of Pennsylvania.  Edmund Woolley, the builder, designed the building with Andrew Hamilton in its distinctive Georgian style.  Two smaller buildings were added in the construction with City Hall to the east and to the west is Congress Hall. Continental Congress Presidents Peyton Randolph, John Hancock, and John Jay as well as Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, John Hanson and Elias Bouidnot all conducted the United Colonies and States of America business at Independence Hall.

The medallion's reverse celebrates the ratification of the Constitution of 1777 with the words "Perpetual Union Ratified - 1781.  By virtue of this ratification, the ever fluid Continental Congress ceased to exist. On March 2nd "The United States in Congress Assembled" was placed at the head of each page of the Official Journal of Congress. The United States of America’s Perpetual Union, which was conceived on July 2, 1776, proclaimed on the 4^th, re-formulated on November 15, 1777 had finally been born on March 1, 1781 under the watch of President Samuel Huntington. The elated Minister of France was the first to address Samuel Huntington as “His Excellency the President of the United States, in Congress Assembled”.   For more information on this founding event please refer to Chapter I or visit www.SamuelHuntington.org.

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