Experience vs. Real

I'm a little sick and tired...no wait, I am really disgusted and have had it with all of the political rhetoric about "experience" as it relates to certain candidates. Recently, Newsweek ran an article discussing the fact that Sarah Palin may be a really great mom but she is just a regular person with no real political experience. Personally, that is what I like about her. "A government of the people, by the people and for the people" should be just that. We need more "common" real people representing us.

Just for giggles, I thought I would put together some information about the "experience" the signers of the Declaration of Independence had. I have included some other interesting facts like birth and death dates, home state and religious affiliations.

I can't help myself...for those of you who want to argue that the U.S. is not and was not intended to be a "Judeo/Christian" country... note that NONE of the signers are listed as atheist, hindu or muslim. There also doesn't seem to be alot of "career politicians" here.

Whoops, there I go offending someone.

Signers of The Declaration of Independence: (religious key is at the bottom)

Adams, John
Massachusetts
Quincy, MA
10/30/1735-7/4/1826
Lawyer-UN

Adams, Samuel
Massachusetts
Boston, MA
9/27/1722-10/2/1803
Merchant-CO

Bartlett, Josiah
New Hampshire
Amesbury, MA
11/21/1729-5/19/1795
Physician-CO

Braxton, Carter
Virginia
Newington, VA
9/10/1736-10/10/1797
Plantation Owner-EP

Carroll of Carrollton, Charles
Maryland
Annapolis, MD
9/19/1737-11/14/1832
Merchant/Plantation Owner-RC

Chase, Samuel
Maryland
Somerset Co., MD
4/17/1741-6/19/1811
Lawyer-EP

Clark, Abraham
New Jersey
Elizabethtown, NJ
2/15/1741-9/15/1794
Lawyer/Surveyor-PB

Clymer, George
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
3/16/1739-1/24/1813
Merchant-QU/EP

Ellery, William
Rhode Island
Newport, RI
12/22/1727-2/15/1820
Lawyer/Merchant-CO

Floyd, William
New York
Brookhaven, NY
12/17/1734-8/4/1821
Land Speculator-PB

Franklin, Benjamin
Pennsylvania
Boston, MA
1/17/1706-4/17/1790
Scientist/Printer-DE

Gerry, Elbridge
Massachusetts
Marblehead, MA
7/17/1744-11/23/1814
Merchant-EP

Gwinnett, Button
Georgia
Glouster, England
1735-5/15/1777
Merchant/Plantation Owner-EP

Hall, Lyman
Georgia
Wallingford, CT
4/12/1724-10/19/1790
Physician/Minister-CO

Hancock, John
Massachusetts
Quincy, MA
1/12/1737-10/8/1793
Merchant-CO

Harrisson, Benjamin
Virginia
Charles City Co., VA
4/7/1726-4/24/1791
Plantation Owner/Farmer-?

Hart, John
New Jersey
Hunterdon Co., NJ
1711-5/11/1779
Land Owner-PB

Hewes, Joseph
North Carolina
Kingston, NJ
1/23/1730-10/10/1779
Merchant-EP

Heyward Jr., Thomas
South Carolina
St. Helena Parrish, SC
7/28/1746-3/6/1809
Lawyer/Plantation Owner-?

Hooper, William
North Carolina
Boston, MA
6/17/1742-10/14/1790
Lawyer-EP

Hopkins, Stephen
Rhode Island
Providence, RI
3/7/1707-4/13/1785
Merchant-?

Hopkinson, Francis
New Jersey
Philadelphia, PA
10/2/1737-5/9/1791
Lawyer/Musician-EP

Huntington, Samuel
Connecticut
Windham, CT
7/3/1731-1/5/1796
Lawyer-CO

Jefferson, Thomas
Virginia
Albermarle Co., VA
4/13/1743-7/4/1826
Lawyer/Plantation Owner-DE

Lee, Francis Lightfoot
Virginia
Mt. Pleasant, VA
10/14/1734-1/11/1797
Plantation Owner-?

Lee, Richard Henry
Virginia
Stratford, VA
1/20/1732-6/19/1794
Plantation Owner/Merchant-?

Lewis, Francis
New York
Llandaff, Wales
3/21/1713-12/30/1802
Merchant-?

Livingston, Philip
New York
Albany, NY
1/15/1716-6/12/1778
Merchant-PB

Lynch Jr., Thomas
South Carolina
Prince George's Parrish, SC
8/5/1749-1779
Lawyer-?

McKean, Thomas
Delaware
Chester Co., PA
3/19/1735-6/24/1817
Lawyer-PB

Middleton, Arthur
South Carolina
Charleston, SC
6/26/1742-1/1/1787
Plantation Owner-?

Morris, Lewis
New York
West Chester Co., NY
4/8/1726-1/22/1798
Plantation Owner-?

Morris, Robert
Pennsylvania
Liverpool, England
1/31/1734-5/8/1806
Merchant/Land Speculator-EP

Morton, John
Pennsylvania
Ridley Township, PA
1724-1777
Farmer-?

Nelson Jr., Thomas
Virginia
Yorktown, VA
12/26/1738-1/4/1789
Merchant/Plantation Owner-?

Paca, William
Maryland
Abington, MD
10/31/1740-10/13/1799
Lawyer/Plantation Owner-EP

Paine, Robert Treat
Massachusetts
Boston, MA
3/11/1731-5/12/1814
Lawyer/Scientist-CO

Penn, John
North Carolina
Carolina Co., VA
5/6/1740-9/14/1788
Lawyer-?

Read, George
Delaware
Northeast MD
9/18/1733-9/21/1798
Lawyer-EP

Rodney, Caesar
Delaware
Dover, DE
10/7/1728-6/29/1784
Plantation Owner/Soldier-EP

Ross, George
Pennsylvania
New Castle, DE
5/10/1730-7/14/1779
Lawyer-?

Rush, Benjamin
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
1/4/1746-4/19/1813
Physician-PB

Rutledge, Edward
South Carolina
Christ Church Parrish, SC
11/23/1749-1/23/1800
Lawyer/Plantation Owner-AN

Sherman, Roger
Connecticut
Newton, MA
4/19/1721-7/23/1793
Lawyer-CO

Smith, James
Pennsylvania
Northern Ireland
1719-7/11/1806
Lawyer-PB

Stockton, Richard
New Jersey
Princeton, NJ
10/1/1730-2/28/1781
Lawyer-PB

Stone, Thomas
Maryland
Charles Co., MD
1743-10/5/1787
Lawyer-EP

Taylor, George
Pennsylvania
Ireland
1716-2/23/1781
Merchant-PB

Thornton, Matthew
New Hampshire
Ireland
1714-6/24/1803
Physician-PB

Walton, George
Georgia
Cumberland Co., VA
1741-2/2/1804
Lawyer-AN

Whipple, William
New Hampshire
Kittery, ME
1/14/1730-11/28/1785
Merchant-CO

Williams, William
Connecticut
Lebannon, CT
4/18/1731-8/2/1811
Merchant-CO

Wilson, James
Pennsylvania
Carskerdo, Scotland
9/14/1742-8/21/1798
Lawyer-EP/DE

Witherspoon, John
New Jersey
Gifford, Scotland
2/5/1723-11/15/1794
Minister-PB

Wolcott, Oliver
Connecticut
Windsor, CT
11/20/1726-12/1/1797
Lawyer-CO

Wythe, George
Virginia
Elizabeth City Co., VA
1726-6/8/1806
Lawyer-EP

Religious key:
AN = Anglican CO = Congregationalist DE = Deist EP = Episcopal PB = Presbyterian QU = Quaker RC = Roman Catholic UN = Unitarian

Sources: Birth places, birth and death dates, and occupations: Declaration Signer's Factsheet from NARA. Religion: A Note on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and God & Country.