Benjamin Rush was born on Christmas Eve 1745 in Byberry, Pennsylvania. He attended what is now Princeton University and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Following establishment of his medical practice in Philadelphia, Rush sat in the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence, and served as surgeon general of the Continental Army’s Middle Department. He was forced to resign from the latter position after criticizing George Washington’s leadership. Following the war, Rush was treasurer of the U.S.