Nathaniel Gorham
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First Lady: Rebecca Call
Party: Vice President : Cabinet: Born : 1738 at Charlestown, MA Died: 11 Jun 1796, Charlestown, Massachusetts Buried : Phipps Street Cemetery in Charlestown, MA Parents: Married : Rebecca Call Children : 9 In Office : June 1786 until January 1787 Education: apprenticed to a New London, CT, merchant Occupation: merchant Other Political Offices : Public Notary Colonial legislature (1771-75) Member of the Massachusetts Board of War (1778-81) Delegate to the constitutional convention (1779-80) Judge of the Middlesex County court of common pleas (1785-96) Governor's Council (1788-89) Continental Congress (1782-83 and 1785-87) Note: Gorham was the son of a packet-boat operator and member of an Old Bay Colony family of modest means. In 1759, returned to his hometown from training and established a business which quickly succeeded. As a delegate to the Massachusetts ratifying convention, he stood behind the Constitution. He took an active part in public affairs at the beginning of the Revolution. During the Gorham's tenure, Congress adopted a monetary system based on the Spanish dollar and established the U.S. Mint. The major issue of Gorham's administration was the Shays's Rebellion (Aug 1786 - Feb 1787), an uprising in western Massachusetts in opposition to high taxes and stringent economic conditions. During the Revolution his political star continued to rise when he displayed a special talent for administration that proved crucial to the wartime government of his state. During the war, British troops had ruined much of Gorham's property, but he managed to recoup most of his fortune. He gave his professional services without compensation to defend the newspaper press in libel suits. He was a key participant in Massachusetts' struggle for ratification. He was a delegate to the Federal Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. |
