- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry was born at Marblehead, Massachusetts, July 17, 1744. He graduated at Harvard College in 1762, and entered into commercial pursuits with his father. He soon became prominent in public affairs, and was elected a member of the Legislature of Massachusetts.
He was a delegate to the Provincial Congress in 1775, and was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety. In 1776 he was elected to the Continental Congress, and was present at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, to which he affixed his signature.
He continued in Congress until 1785, and was afterward a member of the Convention which framed the Federal Constitution, though he refused to sign it. He was elected to Congress under the new government, and in 1810 was chosen Governor of Massachusetts. In 1812 he was elected Vice-President of the United States, and died in office, November 23, 1814, in the seventy-first year of his age.
Source:
Lossing, Benson J. The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1855. Patriot Echoes Archive
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