Today we mark the 1755 birth of Gilbert Stuart, the portrait painter who gave us the famous (if unfinished) likeness of George Washington. Although Stuart has (quite properly) never been acclaimed for it, he is also noteworthy because of an accident of birth: he is one of the few well-known Americans born before 1780 to have been given a middle name. If you already knew today's birthday boy had the middle name "Charles" you may be ready for our challenge.
It turns out there are only about a half dozen early American patriots who, like Gilbert Stuart, were given middle names. We'll give you the first letter of three of those middle names; your task is to come up with the full names.
Let's start with the easiest one.
Which patriot had the middle initial Q?
The answer is John Quincy Adams.
How about the early American with the middle initial H?
(Here's a hint: he introduced the resolution to declare independence from England.)
That patriot was the eloquent orator Richard Henry Lee.
Our final fellow is a bit of a tease.
What we now think of as his middle initial ("P") was once the first letter of his last name. After this Scottish-born sailor killed a mutineer, he took Jones as his surname. Seven years later, after he proclaimed, "I have not yet begun to fight!" this naval hero, ______ P. Jones, secured his place in history. His full name?
John Paul Jones.