Database: William Dawes Jr.

William Dawes Jr. was a Boston revolutionary, and one of the riders sent out to warn Lexington and Concord that the British Regulars were on their way the night of April 18, 1775. The other rider was, of course, Paul Revere. While Revere took the route across the water to Charlestown, Dawes took the longer road across Boston neck. He arrived in Lexington shortly after Revere did.

Dawes was a tanner by trade. These days he would make a fortune in New Jersey, the amount of tanning that goes on there. And while he wasn't as politically active as Revere, he did wear a homespun suit to his wedding. Now, I know that doesn't sound intensely radical, but at the time it was quite a statement. At the time the rebels were trying to enforce boycotts of British products - like cloth - and encouraging people to Buy American. By advertising his suit was locally made, Dawes was putting himself firmly on the Patriot side of the equation. He might as well have worn a bowler hat and a mask with the King's face on. Though that would have been weird at a wedding.