Nicholas Waln (53)

Nicholas Waln (19 November 1742–29 September 1813) was a lawyer and devout Quaker preacher and activist, and a member of the Young Junto, elected in 1766. Born in Philadelphia and formally educated in the Friends’ Public School, he opened a lucrative law practice after returning from England in early 1764. It was during this time that he was a member of the Young Junto and a director of the Library Company. During the winter of 1771-1772, however, Waln experienced a religious conversion. By 1774 he had become a minister. He served the Quaker community for the remainder of his life, often drawing on his own legal expertise. During the American Revolution, he secured the release of jailed Quakers and wrote an influential legal opinion defending Quakers who refused to pay military taxes. After the war, Waln was disinclined to welcome back Friends whom the Society had disowned for non-peaceful conduct. From 1783-1785, he fulfilled his earlier ambitions to travel to Friend meetings in England, Ireland, and Scotland. He served as a clerk for the Philadelphia Quakers’ Yearly Meeting for five years beginning in 1789. During his later years in life, he redirected his energy and focused on Quaker discipline and morality issues, overseeing a school for black children and urging slave-holding Friends to manumit their slaves. (PI, DAB)