Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17, 1744, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Thomas and Elizabeth (Greenleaf) Gerry. He was the third son out of 11 children born to his parents. His father immigrated to America in 1730 and became a wealthy and politically active merchant shipper. His mother’s family can be traced back to England. Her Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Edmond Greenleaf came to America in 1635 and moved to Boston in 1650. Elbridge Gerry was named for one of his ancestors.

Extraordinarily little is known of Gerry’s childhood. We do know that he entered Harvard at the age of 14 and graduated in 1762 with a Bachelor’s Degree, ranking 26 out of 52 students. He received a Master’s Degree in 1765, with his dissertation titled "Why America should resist the Stamp Act."

After graduating from Harvard, he enters his father’s business and, in time, becomes a successful merchant. One of their chief activities was exporting dried codfish to Barbados. When the controversy began to brew with Great Britain, he would take the side of the patriots, even though he knew his business might suffer. Like other Founders, he became involved in the Patriots' cause during this period because of unfair taxation imposed by Parliament and his belief in colonial rights.

In 1771, he attended a local community meeting about the Resolves that Samuel Adams had written, as well as the circular letter that had been sent to the other colonies. He attended this meeting with his father, who was also the moderator. Gerry and his brother would craft the resolves for Marblehead, and they were duly adopted. By 1772, he was elected to the General Court of Massachusetts and became friends with Samuel Adams, who was a profound influence.

Most of the work in the General Court was done in committees, and during this time, he became acquainted with John Hancock and Dr. Warren. He was placed on many important committees, including the Committee of Correspondence. In 1774, the entire committee would resign in protest when an unruly mob burned down a hospital that had been specifically built to house those who were infected with smallpox. The mob feared a smallpox outbreak and did not understand that the hospital was built to contain those who had the disease and prevent it from spreading. The hospital was built with money donated by Gerry and other leading members of the community. Unfortunately, those who were responsible for the hospital’s destruction were not prosecuted because of public opinion. Also in 1774, Boston Harbor was closed as punishment for the Boston Tea Party, and Marblehead became a major port. Gerry received an appointment to the Provincial Congress and was then appointed to the Executive Committee of Safety.

During his time in the Provincial Congress, he was put on the Committee of Correspondence. While serving in Congress, Gerry and two colonels were staying at Menotomy Inn when Paul Revere made his famous ride. He had been staying in Cambridge to attend meetings of the Committee of Safety. Revere advises them that the British are coming, and Gerry and the two colonels flee the house in their nightclothes and hide in a nearby cornfield. The British troops had been told to surround the house and seize any rebels of the committee.

By 1775, he had proposed a law to fit out armed vessels and establish a court to try and condemn prizes. This was the first effort to establish a naval armament in America and is known as Gerry’s Law. John Adams stated it was “one of the boldest, most dangerous and important measures in the history of the new world.”[1] An admiralty court was established, and the judgeship was offered to Gerry, but he declined it. He meets with General Warren before the Battle of Bunker Hill and spends the rest of the year raising troops, procuring ammunition, and supplies for the Provincial Army. [2]

On January 25, 1776, he was elected to be a delegate from Massachusetts to the Second Continental Congress. He arrived in Philadelphia and presented his credentials to Congress on February 9, 1776. From 1776 to 1780, he was Chairman of the Treasury Board. He exerted significant effort to persuade his colleagues from the Middle Colonies to support independence and earned praise from John Adams for his efforts. John Adams would say, “If every Man here was a Gerry, the Liberties of America would be sage against the Gates of Earth and Hell.”[3] He would cast his vote for independence on January 2, but left afterward due to exhaustion. He was not there to sign on August 2 but had asked John and Samuel Adams to sign his name to the engrossed copy. They did not sign for him, and he signed the engrossed copy after he returned to Congress on September 3, 1776.

During his tenure in Congress, which lasted from 1776 to 1780, and then from 1783 to 1785, he would also sign the Articles of Confederation. He left in 1780 and did not return to Congress until 1783 because some of his fellow delegates had offended him with their actions regarding states’ rights. He consistently advocated for better pay, equipment, and conditions for soldiers during his tenure, earning him the nickname "Soldier’s friend." During a speech on compensation for the army, the Boston Patriot reported it was “one of the most powerful and splendid specimens of eloquence and patriotism.”  He was also known for being inconsistent in his views, such as being interested in improving the conditions for soldiers, but drawing the line at offering them a pension. He disliked standing armies but would insist that recruiters use long-term contracts when recruiting men to serve.

When he returned in 1783, he was appointed to a committee to review the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolution. Other members of that committee included Jefferson and Ellery, who had also signed the Declaration. They were the last three members of the 1776 Congress still serving. He also supported resolutions against theatrical entertainment, horse racing, and other diversions, while supporting resolutions recommending days of fasting, humility, and prayer.

In 1784 and 1785, he kept in contact with Jefferson, who was in Paris, and gave him updates on developments and clearly showed him the deficiencies of the Confederation. His letter to Jefferson in February of 1785 runs the gamut from referring to the French Revolution, to speaking about reforming the Articles so that the national government could regulate trade, and saying “give me Leave to enquire, whether it will not be better policy to form our Treaties on Terms of Reciprocity with each Nation rather than on the principles it has adopted with the most favored Nations?”[4] Ironically, George Washington would also address the issue of most-favored-nation status in his Farewell Address in 1789.  Gerry’s last appearance in Congress was on November 2, 1785.

On January 12, 1786, he married Ann Thompson, who was the daughter of James and Catherine (Walton) Thompson. Thompson was a successful merchant from New York. Her aunt was married to New York signer, Lewis Morris. They would have 9 children together: Catherine was born in 1787 and died June 9, 1850. She was married to James Trecothick Austin and had at least one child. Their next daughter, Eliza, was born on July 4, 1790, and passed away in 1851. She married David Townsend. Another daughter, Ann, was born in December 1791 and died in 1831. It is unknown if she ever married or had issue. Their first son, Elbridge, was born in 1801 and passed away in 1867. He married a woman named Nancy. Another son, Thomas Russell, was born on December 8, 1794, and passed away on October 6, 1845. He married twice, once to Nancy Green and then to Hannah Greene. He fathered at least 3 children. Another son, James Thompson, was born in 1797; a daughter, Eleanor Sanford, was born in 1800 and died in 1860. Their last child, Emily Louisa, was born on April 13, 1802, and died on December 28, 1894. She was the last surviving child of a Signer. Ann, his wife, would pass away in 1849. She was the last surviving widow of a Signer. She is buried in the Old Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut. Around the time of his marriage, he became a Master Mason in the Philanthropic Lodge at Marblehead, Massachusetts[5]

In 1786, he took a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and by 1787, he was appointed to be a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. At the Convention, he was a strong advocate of a centralized government, but over the course of the convention, he changed his mind, no longer supported a strong central government, and refused to sign the Constitution. An article from 1815 notes that this change occurred because of Hamilton’s proposal, which tended towards a monarchy. [6] Some scholars have questioned whether Hamilton was presenting a serious proposal or trying to get the Committee working again when they reached an impasse. To this date, no one really knows what Hamilton’s intentions were that day.

Gerry believes that the executive and legislative branches had powers that were too ambiguous and, therefore, dangerous. During this time, he also corresponds with James Monroe, who appears to be a good friend, because, unlike his letters to Jefferson, these letters have a friendly rather than formal tone. He tells Monroe that “The Convention is proceeding in their arduous undertaking with eleven states under an Injunction of secrecy on their members.” And he would also note that the New Hampshire delegates had still not arrived as of June 11, 1787. [7] After the convention, he published: Observations on the New Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions. In it, he expresses his anti-Federalist beliefs.

Upon his return to Cambridge, he purchased a home that he would use for the rest of his life. This home would also be where James Russell Lowe was born and where he would live for the rest of his life. He was a U.S. diplomat. It is now the home of the President of Harvard and is a private residence.

 Even though he was an anti-Federalist, he was elected to the Federal Congress in 1789 and would serve until 1793 as a republican. He does not stand for re-election and instead returns to his home in Cambridge and to his merchant enterprises. In 1797, Gerry was appointed by President Adams to a committee that negotiated a peace treaty with Talleyrand, Napoleon’s foreign minister. The negotiations result in the XYZ Affair, in which Talleyrand attempts to bribe the Americans. Gerry discovers that the French are trying to bribe the Americans, and he furnishes the evidence. When the other Americans leave, Gerry stays behind because Talleyrand convinces him that if he leaves, a war between the US and France will start. He stays behind but refuses to negotiate without the United States' full backing. President Adams called him home in 1798 after the XYZ letters were published, and he arrived back in Boston on October 1, 1798.

In 1800, he suffered a severe financial loss from bad investments, leaving him with nothing but his Cambridge home. In 1801, he ran for governor but lost. By 1810, he was finally elected Governor of Massachusetts. But his tenure would be marred by political scandals such as the Gerrymandering bill, which was passed and gave the republicans an edge in Senate seats, even though the numbers did not match the number of republicans in the state. This bill would be repealed on January 12, 1812. Gerry also enjoyed prosecuting Federalist editors for libel and appointing family members to state positions. He lost the 1812 election to former Governor Strong by only 1200 votes out of more than 100,000 votes cast.[8]

In 1812, even though he lost the Massachusetts governorship, the Republican Congressional Caucus nominated him to be James Madison’s Vice President. The ticket prevailed, and he took the oath of office at his Cambridge house on March 4, 1813, and then left for Washington. His duties included defending the administration and the War of 1812, which had grown increasingly unpopular and was causing a division within the Democratic-Republican Party. Even with his duties as Vice-President, he maintained an active social calendar which included many dinners and receptions.

Unfortunately, his health was failing at this time, and he passed away in his coach on November 23, 1814, while on his way to preside over the Senate. He died of a lung hemorrhage and was nearly broke at the time of his death. The family at this point is so impoverished that Congress pays for his funeral. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.  On his tomb is the statement he made, “It is the duty of every citizen, though he may have but one day to live, to devote that day to the good of his country.” [9]

Tidbits

A small man who was considered a dapper dresser and had exquisite manners:

He seemed a little too aristocratic, and this did little to add to his popularity

He could come off as snobbish, but it was overlooked because he was a New Englander

Described as being humorless and indecisive because he changed his mind frequently and was suspicious of others’ motives, but was a conscientious businessman who paid attention to details.

Dr. Rush wrote that Gerry was “a genuine friend of republican forms of government.”

There is a bust of him in the chamber of the US Senate

[1] “Elbridge Gerry" Atkinson's Casket (1831‑1839) (10, 1838): 433

[2] Barthelmas, Della Gray. “The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference” (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003)

[3] http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers‑by‑state/

[4] Worthington, Chauncey Ford. "Letters of Elbridge Gerry" The New‑England Historical and Genealogical Register (1874‑1905) 49, (10, 1895): 430.

[5] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003)

[6] "Elbridge Gerry, Esquire" Niles' Weekly Register (1814‑1837) 7, no. 182 (Feb 25, 1815): 27

[7] Worthington, Chauncey Ford. "Letters of Elbridge Gerry" The New‑England Historical and Genealogical Register (1874‑1905) 49, (10, 1895): 430.

[8] Barthelmas, Della Gray. The Signers of The Declaration of Independence: A Biographical and Genealogical Reference (Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland, 2003)

[9] Kiernan, Denise, and Joseph D'Agnese. Signing their lives away: the fame and misfortune of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia, Quirk Book, c2009)