Jonathan Dayton was an American politician from New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
During the Revolutionary War, he served under Washington fighting, at both the battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown. He remained with Washington at Valley Forge, and helped push the British from their position in New Jersey to New York City. He later took part in the fighting at the Battle of Yorktown. After the war, Dayton studied law and created a practice, dividing his time between land speculation, law, and politics.
After serving as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention (of which he was the youngest member, at the age of 26), he became a prominent Federalist legislator. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and served in the New Jersey Legislative Council (now the New Jersey Senate). He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served as speaker for the Fourth and Fifth Congress.