Vermont HCR 214: House concurrent resolution in memory of Dorset civic leader John P. Stannard

Bill Text

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2026

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No. R-261. House concurrent resolution celebrating the essential contributions of
Irish American patriots in the struggle for our nation’s independence.
(H.C.R.214)
Offered by Representatives Casey of Montpelier, Burke of Brattleboro, Galfetti of
Barre Town, Greer of Bennington, Nugent of South Burlington, Ode of Burlington,
Priestley of Bradford, Sweeney of Shelburne, and Waszazak of Barre City
Whereas, on March 17, 1776, the British ended an 11-month-long siege of Boston,
Massachusetts, leaving control of the city to American forces, including General John
Sullivan, the son of Irish immigrants, who General George Washington named his
Officer of the Day, and who subsequently served in New Hampshire as governor and as a
federal district court judge, and his brother, James Sullivan, later served in Massachusetts
as an associate state supreme court justice, attorney general, and, ultimately, as
governor, and
Whereas, eight signers of the Declaration of Independence were Irish Americans,
either born in Ireland or in the colonies, namely, Thomas McKean, who would later serve
as President of the Continental Congress; Charles Carroll; James Smith; George Taylor;
Matthew Thorton; Edward Rutledge; Thomas Lynch Jr.; and George Read, and
Whereas, these eight illustrious individuals’ spirit of independence was crucial in the
establishment of the American nation, and, generations later, their legacy helped inspire
the founding of the Irish Republic, and both constituted new societies for free
individuals, and
Whereas, John Dunlap, who emigrated from County Tyrone, printed the first copies of
the Declaration of Independence, and the first international newspaper publication of the
Declaration occurred in August 1776 in Ireland, on the front page of the Belfast News
Letter, and
Whereas, 250 years ago, Stephen Moylan, George Washington’s Irish American aide-
de-camp, in a letter he wrote, first used the phrase “United States of America” on
paper, and
Whereas, in a concise summary of Irish Americans’ role in securing American
independence, Lord Mountjoy declared to the British Parliament in London that
“America was lost by Irish emigrants ... I am assured from the best authority, the major
part of the American Army was composed of Irish and that the Irish language was as
commonly spoken in American ranks as English. I am also informed it was their valor
that determined the contest,” and
Whereas, on Saint Patrick’s Day 2026, the year marking our nation’s 250th birthday, it
is most fitting to commend the role of Irish Americans in ensuring the success of the
American Revolution, now therefore be it

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Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly celebrates the essential contributions of Irish American
patriots in the struggle for our nation’s independence, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Senator Mark Daly, Chairperson of the Senate of Ireland, and to the leadership of the
American Irish State Legislators Caucus.