founding father

views updated May 14 2018

found·ing fa·ther • n. a person who starts or helps to start a movement or institution. ∎  (Founding Father) a member of the convention that drew up the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Founding Father

views updated May 29 2018

Founding Father a member of the convention that drew up the constitution of the US in 1787. Early use of the phrase is particularly associated with US president Warren G. Harding (1865–1923), who in his inaugural address of 1921 referred to his ‘belief in the divine inspiration of the founding fathers’.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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Founding Father

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