He was the only son of four children born of Martha (née Jones) Cadwalader (1679–1747) and John Cadwalader (1677–1734), who was born in Bala, Wales before coming to the Province of Pennsylvania in British America in 1697, seeking a place to practice his Quaker faith.

[3] After studying medicine with his uncle Dr. Evan Jones, he traveled to London, where he was an understudy of English surgeon William Cheselden.

Before he moved back to Philadelphia, he donated five hundred pounds to Trenton to erect a public library.

[4] He was a founder and director of the Library Company of Philadelphia, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, where he served as vice president from 1769 to 1770.

[3] Together they had eight children, six daughters and two sons who were both active in the American Revolutionary War: Cadwalader died on November 14, 1779, at age 72, in Trenton.