President of Pennsylvania
Thomas Wharton, the first President of Pennsylvania, died in office on 23 May 1778 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (The State government had evacuated to Lancaster during the British occupation of Philadelphia.) According to the provisions of the 1776 State Constitution Bryan assumed the duties of the late President. Some sources consider Bryan to have been merely the Acting President during the seven months that followed. Others—including the records of the Council itself—deny him even that title and continue to address him as simply Vice-President, as he was never elected or officially elevated to the Presidency. Nonetheless, perhaps due to the length of his service at the head of the Council, both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Governors Association today recognize George Bryan as a full-fledged Governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 23 May 1778 through 1 December 1778.
It was under Bryan's leadership that the Council returned to Philadelphia on 26 June 1778, after almost nine months in Lancaster. On 1 December, Bryan was soundly defeated in his bid to be formally elected to the Presidency, receiving only one of sixty three votes cast and losing to Joseph Reed. However, he handily defeated Joseph Hart to retain the Vice-Presidency, winning sixty two of the sixty three votes cast for that office. Bryan remained Vice-President for almost a year, resigning the office 11 October 1779. (No reason for the resignation is noted in the records of the Council.) Matthew Smith was elected to fill the vacancy and took office that same day. Bryan continued to serve on the Council for several days after leaving the Vice-Presidency, and on 18 October was succeeded by William Moore as Counsellor for the City of Philadelphia.
Following his service with the Executive Council, in 1780, Bryan was appointed a judge on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He also served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. An early abolitionist, Bryan believed that slavery was a moral disgrace, and he authored the first legislation in History to abolish the practice. This legislation served as a model for the gradual emancipation of slaves throughout the northern colonies.
In the late 1780s, Bryan remained an ardent advocate of the unicameral legislature and executive council still in place in Pennsylvania, and he opposed adoption of the 1787 Federal Constitution largely because it created a bicameral legislature and a single executive.
Read more about this topic: George Bryan
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