Robert Treat Paine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Treat Paine
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Portrait by Edward Savage & John Coles, Jr. Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
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| Born | March 11, 1731 |
| Died | May 11, 1814 (aged 83) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Resting place | Granary Burying Ground, Boston |
| Education | Harvard College |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Known for | Signer of the Declaration of Independence |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Cobb (m. 1770–1814; his death) |
| Children | 8 |
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Robert Treat Paine (born March 11, 1731 – died May 11, 1814) was an important American lawyer and politician. He is known as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a group of leaders who helped create the United States. He signed two very important documents: the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence. He represented the state of Massachusetts when he signed these.
Paine also held important jobs in Massachusetts. He was the state's first attorney general, which means he was the main lawyer for the state government. Later, he became a judge on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which is the highest court in Massachusetts.
Contents
Early Life and Family History
Robert Treat Paine was born in Boston, which was then part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in British North America. This was on March 11, 1731. He was one of five children born to Reverend Thomas Paine and Eunice (Treat) Paine.
His father was a pastor in Weymouth. But in 1730, the family moved to Boston, where his father became a merchant. Robert's mother, Eunice, was the daughter of Reverend Samuel Treat. Samuel's father, Major Robert Treat, helped found Newark, New Jersey. He also later became a governor of Connecticut. Robert Treat Paine's family history on his mother's side goes back a long way in the American colonies. His father's family can even be traced back to the Mayflower ship.
Education and Early Career
Paine went to the Boston Latin School. Then, at just 14 years old, he started at Harvard College. He finished his studies and graduated in 1749 when he was 18.
After college, Paine worked as a school teacher for several years. He taught at Boston Latin and later in Lunenburg, Massachusetts. He also tried working as a merchant, traveling to places like the Carolinas, the Azores, and Spain. He even went on a whaling trip to Greenland.
In 1755, he began studying law with a cousin of his mother's in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Paine also served as a chaplain (a religious leader) during the Crown Point Expedition. After this, he sometimes preached and continued his law studies. In 1756, he went back to Boston to keep preparing for his law career. He was officially allowed to practice law in 1757. He first thought about starting his law practice in Portland (which was then part of Massachusetts). But instead, in 1761, he moved to Taunton, Massachusetts. He later moved back to Boston in 1780.
Key Moments in His Legal and Political Career
In 1768, Robert Treat Paine was chosen as a delegate for a special meeting in Boston. This meeting was called to discuss important issues in the colony.
Boston Massacre Trial
Paine played a role in a famous event called the Boston Massacre. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers shot and killed several colonists. Paine, along with another lawyer named Samuel Quincy, was in charge of prosecuting (trying to prove guilty) Captain Thomas Preston and his soldiers. However, John Adams, who would later become president, was the lawyer for the soldiers. Adams' arguments convinced the jury, and most of the soldiers were found not guilty.
Serving in Congress
Paine served in the Massachusetts General Court from 1773 to 1774. He was also part of the Provincial Congress from 1774 to 1775. Most importantly, he represented Massachusetts at the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776.
While in Congress, he signed the last appeal to the king, known as the Olive Branch Petition in 1775. He also helped create the rules for how debates would happen. He worked to get gunpowder ready for the upcoming war. In 1776, he became one of the important signers of the Declaration of Independence.
After the Revolution
At the end of 1776, Paine returned to Massachusetts. He became the speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1777. In 1779, he was a member of the executive council, which helped run the state. He also helped write the state constitution in 1780.
From 1777 to 1790, he served as the Massachusetts Attorney General. In this role, he handled the trials for treason (betraying one's country) after Shays' Rebellion, a protest by farmers. In 1780, he was a founding member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a group that promotes knowledge. He later served as a judge on the state supreme court from 1790 until he retired in 1804.
Later Life and Family
Robert Treat Paine passed away at the age of 83 in 1814. He was buried in Boston's Granary Burying Ground. Many of his important papers, including letters and legal notes, are now kept at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Paine was a Congregationalist and a very religious Christian. When his church, the First Church in Boston, started following Unitarianism, Paine also became a Unitarian. In 1904, a statue of Paine, made by Richard E. Brooks, was put up in Taunton, Massachusetts at Church Green. Paine is also honored at the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence in Washington, D.C.
Paine married Sally Cobb on March 15, 1770. She was the daughter of Thomas and Lydia Cobb and the sister of General David Cobb. Sally was born on May 15, 1744, and died on June 6, 1816. They had eight children together:
- Robert Paine (1770-1798), who died unmarried and graduated from Harvard College.
- Sally Paine (1772-1823), who also died unmarried.
- Robert Treat Paine Jr. (1773-1811), who graduated from Harvard College.
- Charles Paine (1775-1810), who graduated from Harvard College and married Sarah Sumner Cushing.
- Henry Paine (1777-1814), who married Olive Lyman.
- Mary Paine (1780-1842), who married Reverend Elisha Clap.
- Maria Antoinetta Paine (1782-1842), who married Deacon Samuel Greele.
- Lucretia Paine (1785-1823), who died unmarried.
Some of his well-known descendants include:
- Charles Jackson Paine
- John Paine
- Robert Treat Paine Storer
- Robert Treat Paine, who owned the famous Stonehurst estate.
- Lyman Paine, who married Ruth Forbes, a great-granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- Sumner Paine
- Michael Paine, husband of Ruth Paine.
- Robert "Bob" Treat Paine III, a zoologist.
Images for kids
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Robert Treat Paine's signature.
See also
In Spanish: Robert Treat Paine para niños
