Button Gwinnett: America’s Accidental Founding Father

Not all Founding Fathers were selfless patriots. Button Gwinnett only cared about himself.

New York Times bestselling author Mark Di Vincenzo joins us on Saturday, September 19th at 1 PM to discuss Button Gwinnett: America’s Accidental Founding Father.

There are fewer than 100 men who can be called an American Founding Father. Button Gwinnett was the only one of those who wasn’t interested in public service or the independence movement.

Button Gwinnett: America’s Accidental Founding Father tells the story of this fascinating man who didn’t want to serve in Congress in 1776, but he went and ended up voting for independence.

On the day he signed the Declaration of Independence, he left Philadelphia to rush back to Georgia to take credit for things he didn’t do in Congress.

He became a hero and grabbed power, briefly becoming the acting governor. But nine months after he signed the Declaration, he was dead from a musket ball wound suffered in a duel in a Savannah cow pasture.

Gwinnett’s story doesn’t end there. He was the subject of an Isaac Asimov short story, a rap song by Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda, and his name appears in the news when one of his rare signatures hits the market. They sell for more than $1 million each.

Mark Di Vincenzo worked as a journalist for Tribune Publishing for nearly 25 years before he started writing books.

HarperCollins published his first three books. His recently released Button Gwinnett: America’s Accidental Founding Father has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ken Armstrong and Virginia historian Phil Hamilton.

Mark lives in Midlothian with his wife, Jayne. They have three adult daughters.