John London was born in England on October 23, 1747. He arrived in North Carolina in 1764 and established himself in Wilmington. He served as Governor William Tryon's crown secretary in 1770 and also served as the clerk of the New Hanover court from 1769 to 1775. After a brief time in England, London returned to Wilmington in 1777 and was admitted as a citizen in 1779. After the revolution, he worked as a banker. He died in Wilmington on March 1, 1816.