Carter Braxton

Carter Braxton (September 10, 1736 - October 10, 1797), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Virginia.

He was born in Newington Plantation, Virginia and educated at the College of William and Mary. He married at age 19, but his wife died two years later, and he journeyed to England for two years. He returned in 1760, marrying again, and represented King William County in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He joined the patriot's Committee of Safety in Virginia in 1774 and represented his county in the Virginia Convention. When Peyton Randolph died in 175, Braxton was appointed to take his place in the Continental Congress. After two years there, he returned to the House of Burgesses. During the Revolutionary War he used his personal wealth to sponsor shipping and privateering, and died in greatly reduced circumstances.