A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
One of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence was a comedian? His name was Matthew Thornton.
Thornton came to America when he was four years old. His path to success wasn’t exactly one of ease. For one thing, his family was Presbyterians, who were not exactly welcomed by the Puritan majority. For another, school was out of the question. His path to becoming a doctor required that he study medicine as an apprentice. Eventually, he started his own practice and earned enough money to purchase a large estate. Years later he entered revolutionary politics, bringing the same level of determination to the government. According to Denise Kiernan, he “worked so hard…that he once went ten days without changing his clothes.”
Maybe it was the hard times and hard work that developed a sense of humor. He’s remembered today for his service to his colonies and helping to birth a nation. He was appreciated by his fellow politicians for his cheerful, entertaining stories as John Adams attested: “We have….a Colonel Thornton…a man of humor. He has a large budget of droll stories with which he entertains company perpetually.”
(For more information on Thornton and the other signers of the Declaration of Independence, see Denise Kiernan, Signing Their Lives Away, 2009)
