Peter Chevalier (30)

Peter Chevalier (25 March 1731–19 October 1778) was a merchant and public official and a member of the Young Junto, elected c. 1758. Born in Philadelphia, he ran a store and owned a share in a privateer. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and invested in the Presbyterian Ministers’ Fund. He also served on a commission responsible for equipping the province’s warship and outfitting its troops. He signed the 1765 Non-Importation Agreement and subscribed to both the Silk Society and the survey for a proposed canal connecting the Delaware and Chesapeake rivers. In 1770, he was named a justice of the peace and appointed to the Philadelphia Common Council. In 1774, he was a delegate to the Provincial Convention. And in 1776 he served on a committee charged with auditing the accounts of the Pennsylvania militia. That same year he was nominated to but did not serve in the Pennsylvania Assembly. Chevalier was noteworthy for his sizeable art collection. His brother-in-law John Baynton was an APS member. (PI)