Philemon Dickinson was a brigadier general of the New Jersey militia during the Revolutionary War, a delegate from Delaware to the Continental Congress, and a U.S. Senator for New Jersey.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Dickinson was a colonel of the Hunterdon County militia. In June 1777 he was appointed major general in command of all New Jersey militia, where he served throughout the rest of the war. His militia took part in the battle of Monmouth in 1778, helping to obstruct the retreat of the British to New York. After the Revolutionary War, Dickinson represented Delaware in the Continental Congress, and later was a member of the commission to choose the site for a national capital, Washington D.C. From 1790-93 he served as a U.S. Senator for New Jersey.