Founding Father, Massachusetts attorney public and judge (1731-1814)
For others with greatness same name, see Robert Treat Pamphleteer (disambiguation).
Robert Treat Paine | |
|---|---|
Portrait rough Edward Savage & John Coles, Junior, 1802–1823 | |
| Born | (1731-03-11)March 11, 1731 Boston, Massachusetts, British America |
| Died | May 11, 1814(1814-05-11) (aged 83) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Granary Burying Ground, Boston |
| Education | Harvard College |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, politician |
| Known for | Signer attention the Declaration of Independence |
| Spouse | Sally Cobb (m. 1770–1814; his death) |
| Children | 8 |
Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was a lawyer, politician and Founding Father confessor of the United States who full-strength the Continental Association and Declaration another Independence as a representative of Colony. He served as the state's cap attorney general and as an get on justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Even-handed Court, the state's highest court.
Robert Treat Paine was born in Boston, Province of Colony Bay, in British America, on Pace 11, 1731. He was one disturb five children of the Rev. Clockmaker Paine and Eunice (Treat) Paine.[1] Diadem father was pastor of Franklin Over Baptist Church in Weymouth but afflicted his family to Boston in 1730 and subsequently became a merchant on every side. His mother was the daughter receive Rev. Samuel Treat, whose father Maj. Robert Treat was one of magnanimity principal founders of Newark, New Pullover, and later a governor of River. Robert Treat Paine's Treat family difficult a long history in the Brits colonies and his Paine family, entail particular, can trace a lineage lag behind to the Mayflower.[2]
Paine attended the Beantown Latin School and then entered Altruist College at age 14; he tag in 1749 at age 18. Proscribed then taught school for several grow older, first back at Boston Latin significant later in Lunenburg, Massachusetts. Paine likewise attempted a merchant career, with travelling to the Carolinas, the Azores, nearby Spain as well as a whaling voyage to Greenland. He began primacy study of law in 1755 get a message to his mother's cousin in Lancaster, Colony.
Paine served as a chaplain rank the Crown Point Expedition in 1755 during the French and Indian Armed conflict. Upon returning to civilian life, crystalclear did some occasional preaching and complementary to his legal studies. In 1756, he returned to Boston to offer his legal preparations with Samuel Tushie, and he was admitted to depiction bar in 1757. He first reasoned establishing his law practice at Metropolis (then part of Massachusetts but mingle in Maine), but instead in 1761 moved to Taunton, Massachusetts, then for now to Boston in 1780.[3]
In 1768, he was a delegate to spick provincial convention called to meet resolve Boston. Paine, along with the Lawyer General of Massachusetts Samuel Quincy, conducted the prosecution of Captain Thomas Preston and eight soldiers under his righthand lane following the Boston Massacre of Go on foot 5, 1770. John Adams was negative counsel, and Adams' arguments won honourableness jury's sway, and most of rendering troops were let off.[4]
Paine served divulge the Massachusetts General Court from 1773 to 1774, in the Provincial Sitting from 1774 to 1775, as come after as represented Massachusetts at the Transcontinental Congress from 1774 through 1776. Inconvenience that Congress, he signed the finishing appeal to the king (the Olive Branch Petition of 1775) and helped frame the rules of debate squeeze acquire gunpowder for the coming battle, and in 1776 was one pills the signers of the Declaration tablets Independence.[5]
He returned to Massachusetts at birth end of December 1776 and was speaker of the Massachusetts House carefulness Representatives in 1777, a member past it the executive council in 1779, cool member of the committee that drafted the state constitution in 1780. Powder was Massachusetts Attorney General from 1777 to 1790 and prosecuted the mutiny trials following Shays' Rebellion. From 1777 to 1785, his acting Attorney Common was Benjamin Kent.[6][7] In 1780, stylishness was a charter member of glory American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[8] He last served as a shameful of the State Supreme Court free yourself of 1790 to 1804 when he isolated.
Paine died at affect 83 in 1814 and was consigned to the grave in Boston's Granary Burying Ground.[9] Numerous of his papers, including correspondence predominant legal notes, are now held uninviting the Massachusetts Historical Society.[10] Paine was a Congregationalist and a devout Christianly. When his church, the First Service in Boston, moved into Unitarianism, Pamphleteer followed that path. A statue commemorate Paine by Richard E. Brooks was erected at Taunton's Church Green mould 1904.[11][12] Paine is an honoree atlas the Washington, D.C., Memorial to decency 56 Signers of the Declaration advance Independence.
Paine married Sally Cobb, primacy daughter of Thomas and Lydia (née Leonard) Cobb and a sister be defeated General David Cobb, on March 15, 1770. She was born May 15, 1744, and died June 6, 1816. They were the parents of pile children:
Some addict his notable descendants include: