GROWDON, Joseph, jurist, born in England; died in Pennsylvania, 9 December, 1730. He was the son of Lawrence Growdon, of Cornwall, England, who was largely interested in the tin-mines. He came to this country shortly after Penn's arrival, and settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he took up 10,000 acres. In 1684 he was chosen to the assembly of Pennsylvania, was thereafter almost continuously chosen to this body until 1722, and for eleven years was speaker. From 1687 till 1703 he was a member of the provincial council, under the administration of Got. Penn and Lieutenant-Governors Evans and Gookin. In 1690 he was commissioned one of the judges of the supreme court, and held this office for several years. In 1707 he was appointed chief justice of the court, which place he held until 1716. He filled the many offices of trust committed to him with marked ability, and but few men in the province in his day attained to a higher degree of usefulness.--His son, Joseph, lawyer, born in England; died in Pennsylvania in 1738, was appointed attorney-general of Pennsylvania, 7 March, 1726, and served in that capacity till his death. In 1735 he was appointed advocate for the crown in the vice-admiralty.--Another son. Lawrence, jurist, born in Pennsylvania, 14 March 1694; died there, 1 April, 1770, was a merchant at Bristol, England, in 1730. in 1734 he was chosen to the assembly, in which body he remained until 1738, in 1747 became a member of the provincial council, and was for-twelve years a justice of the supreme court of the province. In conjunction with Reverend Richard Peters, secretary of the land-office, he was appointed commissioner for running a "temporary boundary" with Maryland, Colonel Gale and Mr. Chamberlayne being the Maryland commissioners. He was a man of large wealth. His daughter, Grace, was the wife of Joseph Galloway, the distinguished lawyer and Tory.--Grace, daughter of Joseph Growdon, the elder, became the wife of David Lloyd, who was speaker of the assembly, councillor, attorney-general, and chief justice.