John Lewis GERVAIS, Congress, SC (1741-1798)

GERVAIS, John Lewis, a Delegate from South Carolina; born of Huguenot parents in Hanover, Germany, circa 1741; attended schools and colleges in Hanover; immigrated to England and later to the United States, arriving in Charleston, S.C., on June 27, 1764; merchant, planter, and landowner; delegate to the provincial convention and Provincial Congress in 1775 and 1776; member of the council of safety in 1775, 1776, and 1781; appointed by Congress deputy postmaster general for South Carolina in 1778; served in the Revolutionary War, in organizing the Army and in the defense of Charleston in 1780; member of the State senate in 1781 and 1782 and served as president; Member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783; commissioner of public accounts for South Carolina in 1794 and 1795; died in Charleston, S.C., August 18, 1798; interment in St. Philip's Churchyard.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present