John Dunlap
| John Dunlap | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1747 Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 27 November 1812 Philadelphia |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Printer, newspaper publisher, land owner |
| Known for | Printing the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Hayes Ellison |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | –1794 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry |
| Battles/wars | Whiskey Rebellion |
John Dunlap (1747 – November 27, 1812) was the printer of the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence and one of the most successful American printers of his era.
Dunlap was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland (now Northern Ireland). In 1757, when he was ten years old, he went to work as an apprentice to his uncle, William Dunlap, a printer and bookseller in Philadelphia. In 1766, William Dunlap left the business in the care of his nephew. John eventually bought the business, and at first made a living by printing sermons and probably broadsides and handbills too. In November 1771, Dunlap began the publication of the Pennsylvania Packet, or General Advertiser, a weekly newspaper. In 1773 he married Elizabeth Hayes Ellison.
During the American Revolutionary War, Dunlap became an officer in the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and saw action with George Washington at the battles of Trenton and Princeton. He continued in the First City Troop after the war, rising to the rank of major, and leading Pennsylvania's cavalry militia to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
In 1776, Dunlap secured a lucrative printing contract for the Continental Congress. In July 1776, fighting between the American colonists and the British forces had been going on for nearly a year. On July 2, the Second Continental Congress voted to secede. Two days later, they approved the final wording of a public declaration regarding their decision, which we today call the Declaration of Independence. That evening John Hancock ordered Dunlap to print broadside copies of the declaration. Dunlap printed perhaps 200 broadsides, since known as the Dunlap broadsides, which were the first published versions of the Declaration.
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