Jenifer, Daniel

Jenifer, Daniel (1723-1790) Signer of the Constitution: Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer was born in Charles County, Maryland. He was named after his grandfather. Jenifer served as justice of the peace for Charles County, then for the western part of Maryland. In 1760, he became Maryland commissioner to settle the Maryland/Pennsylvania border dispute. A member of the provincial court in 1766, he was a member of the Governor's Council from 1773 to the end of the colonial regime. A strong patriot, Jenifer was chosen to be president of the Maryland Council of Safety in 1775, and headed the four subsequent councils. In 1777, he was elected president of the Maryland Senate under the new 1776 state constitution. Serving in the state Senate until 1781, he attended the Continental Congress in 1779, 1780 and 1781. Jenifer was Intendant of Revenue (financial agent) for Maryland from 1782 to 1785, when the position was abolished. In 1785, he was one of the Maryland commissioners who met with Virginia representatives to settle disputes of jurisdiction of Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac and Pocomoke Rivers. A member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was involved in debate, but held no leadership role. Among his proposals were a three-year term for representatives; the ineligibility of senators for other offices and a seven-year previous citizenship requirement for Representatives. Little is known about Jenifer's life after he signed the Constitution in 1787. He lived in Annapolis, Maryland; and never married. Jenifer died in Annapolis, on November 16, 1790.