History of Marblehead, (Essex County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Samuel Hooper, representative, was born in Marblehead, Mass., Feb. 3, 1808. His father and grandfather were both merchants, and his father was president of the old Marblehead bank. In early life Samuel went as supercargo in his father's vessels to Cuba, Russia and Spain. He was married in 1832 to a daughter of Willlain Sturgis, and thereupon became a junior partner in the firm of Bryant, Sturgis & Co., in Boston, where he remained ten years As a member of the firm of William Appleton & Co. he engaged in the China trade, 1842-75. He was interested in the manufacture of iron and in iron mines. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1852-55; state senator, 1857, and a Republican representative from Boston in the 37th-43d congresses inclusive, 1861-75. He served on the committees on ways and means, banking and commerce, and on the war debts of the loyal states. He was credited by Secretary Chase with being largely responsible for the success in floating the national loan of April, 1861, and in establishing the national banking system. He was a delegate to the Philadelphia Loyalists' convention of 1866. He founded the Sturgis-Hooper professorship of geology in connection with the school of mining and practical geology in Harvard university in 1865, which was made a separate chair in 1875. His contribution to Harvard to sustain the professorship was $50,000. Harvard conferred on him the honorary degree of A.M. in 1866. He is the author of: Currency or Money; its Nature and Uses (1855); A Defence of the Merchants of Boston (1866); An Examination of the Theory and the Effect of the Laws Regulating the Amount of Specie in Banks (1860); and pamphlets and speeches. He died in Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 1875.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joseph Story, jurist, was born at Marblehead, Mass., Sept. 18, 1779; son of Elisha and Mehitable (Pedrick) Story. His father was a staunch patriot, active in all the Revolutionary movements, and one of the "Indians" who helped to destroy the tea in the harbor of Boston, Mass., in 1776. Joseph was graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1798, A.M., 1801; studied law in the office of Samuel Sewall, and later with Judge Putnam of Salem; was admitted to the bar in July, 1801, and established himself in practice in Salem. He declined the appointment of naval officer of the port of Salem in 1803; was a Democratic representative in the state legislature, 1805-07, and was elected a representative in the 10th congress, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Jacob Crowninshield, serving, 1808-09. He was again chosen a representative in the state legislature in 1810 and became speaker of the house. He argued before the U.S. supreme court the great Georgia claim case in 1810, and on Nov. 18, 1811, was appointed associate-justice of the U.S. supreme court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Cushing, and held the office until his death. His circuit took in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and owing to the extreme old age of his predecessor, his labors upon the circuit were multiplied by the immense accumulation of business. He denounced the slave trade, and it was owing to his charges to the grand juries in 1819 that the traffic was brought to a close. He opposed the Missouri compromise and spoke in a public meeting held in Salem against the measure. He was a member of the committee appointed to revise the constitution of Massachusetts in 1820, and opposed the motion that the legislature should have the power to diminish the salaries of the judges of the supreme court. He was Dane professor of law at Harvard, 1829-45, and removed to Cambridge, Mass. In 1831 he declined the office of chief justice of Massachusetts. After the death of John Marshall, he acted as chief justice in the U.S. supreme court until the confirmation of Roger B. Taney, and again in 1844, during the illness of Taney. He was an overseer of Harvard college, 1818-25; a fellow, 1825-45; a member of the Massachusetts Historical society; a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the American Philosophical society. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Brown in 1815, by Harvard in 1821, and by Dartmouth in 1824. His name in "Class J, Judges and Lawyers," received sixty-four votes in the consideration of names for a place in the Hall of Fame, New York University, October, 1900, and was accorded a place with those of James Kent and John Marshall. He is the author of: The Power of Solitude, with Fugitive Poems (1804); Selection of Pleadings in Civil Actiones (1805), and numerous text books on jurisprudence, including: Commentaries on the Law of Bailments (1832); Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (3 vols., 1833); Commentaries on the Conflict of Laws (1834); Commentaries on Equity Jurisprudence (2 vols., 1835-36); Equity Pleadings (1838); Law of Agency (1839): Law of Partnership (1841); Law of Bills of Exchange (1843), and Law of Promissory Notes (1845). He edited "Chitty on Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes" (1809); "Abbot on Shipping" (1810), and "Laws on Assumpsit" (1811), and contributed to the North American Review, the American Jurist, and the "Encyclop?dia Americana." He left unfinished a Digest of Law, which is in the Harvard Law library; and a collection of Miscellaneous Writings was published in 1835, and an enlarged edition edited by his son, William Wetmore Story, appeared after his death (2 vols., 1851). He died in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 10, 1845.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Azor Orne, patriot, was born in Marblehead, Mass., July 22, 1731; son of Joshua and Sarah (Gale) Orne; grandson of Joshua and Elizabeth (Norman) Orne, and of Azor Gale, and a descendant of John Orne, or Horn, who emigrated from England, probably in the fleet with Winthrop, settled in Salem, Mass., in 1630, was made freeman in 1631, and was deacon of the First church of Salem for fifty years. Azor Orne was a prosperous merchant at the outbreak of the Revolution, and early joined the patriot cause. He was a representative to the General Court in 1773; a delegate to the Essex convention and to the Provincial congress of 1774, and a member of the committees of safety, military affairs, organization of forces, and on the collecting of arms and ammunition. He was elected judge of the general court in 1775, and was appointed one of three major-generals of Massachusetts militia by the Provincial congress in January, 1776. He was a representative in the Hartford convention of Nov. 11, 1780, and was a member of the committee that prepared a circular to set forth the necessity of providing for revenue by a system of taxation. He also loaned the government a large amount of money, and was a member of the convention that framed the state constitution in 1780, and of the convention that adopted the Federal constitution in 1788; was a member of the council, 1788-96, and a presidential elector in 1792. He served in the state senate where he strongly advocated the public school system. He was married first to Mary Coleman, and secondly to Mary (Lee) Orne, widow of his brother, Col. Joshua Orne, and sister of Col. Jeremiah Lee. He died in Boston, Mass., June 6, 1796.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Elbridge Gerry, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Marblehead, Mass., July 17, 1744; son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Greenleaf) Gerry. His father was a native of Newton-Abbot, England, and emigrated to America in 1730, settling at Marblehead. Mass., where the became a very prosperous merchant. Elbridge graduated at Harvard in 1762, and in his master's oration in 1765 he opposed the stamp-act and other revenue measures adopted by the mother country, that had proved oppressive to the colonists. He engaged in commercial pur suits, amassed a fortune, and represented Marblehead in the general court almost continuously, 1773-1814. He was appointed in 1773 with Hancock and Orne on the committee of correspondence that proved so efficacious in informing the distant colonists of governmental acts of oppression to the people. He supported Samuel Adams and was a delegate to the provincial congress that met annually at Cambridge and Watertown; and was on a committee to collect ammunition and supplies for the militia. He drew the hill adopted in 1775 which established an admiralty court for the protection of privateers and the distribution of prize money, a movement that led to the establishment of a national navy. He was a delegate to the continental congress, 1776-80, and 1783-85. He was on the committee to provide supplies for the army and on the standing committee on the treasury. He was one of the first to advocate a Declaration of Independence, seconded the motion for its adoption, and signed the document. With Morris and Jones he was sent by congress in 1778 to visit General Washington at his headquarters on the Schuylkill to determine the cause for delay in prosecuting a vigorous campaign, and their report was made a pretext for questioning the military ability of the commander-in-chief. This was no doubt encouraged by the extensively circulated "Conway cabal," and brought upon the New England delegates charges of complicity in a determined effort to supplant Washington by the promotion of General Gates. In 1779 when peace negotiations were opened, he insisted on the protection of the fishing rights of the colonies. As chairman of the treasury committee he investigated the accounts of Gert. Benedict Arnold in 1780, and thus gained the displeasure of that officer. He vacated his seat in congress in February, 1780, upon the ground that the sovereignty of Massachusetts had been violated by congress in refusing to order the ayes and nays on a question of order presented by him. In this he was sustained by the Massachusetts legislature, which formally protested against the action of congress. The general court returned him as a delegate in 1783. In the meantime he had been elected to both houses of the state legislature, but declined the senatorial honor, giving his services in the representative chamber. He was a member of the committee to arrange a treaty of peace with Great Britain. He opposed the organization of the Society of the Cincinnati as un- republican. In 1783 he was the chairman of two committees to examine sites for a Federal capitol. Upon the expiration of his term in congress in September, 1785, he took his seat in the popular branch of the Massachusetts legislature. He was elected a delegate to the Federal constitutional convention of 1789, held in New York, and in that body directed his influence to prevent the incorporation of any monarchical features in the instrument, and when the constitution as adopted was presented, he joined Randolph and Mason in refusing assent to the instrument, upon the ground that it gave the President too much power. Upon his return to Massachusetts, he was refused an election to the state constitutional convention, but was invited to attend its sessions for the purpose of answering questions of fact in regard to the constitution, but when reminded of the limitations of his position, he withdrew. He was elected by the Republican party a representative in the 1st and 2d U.S. congresses, serving, 1789-93. President Adams appointed him with Marshall and Pinckney envoy to France to secure indemnity for French depredations on United States commerce. The conduct of Talleyrand toward the commissioners disgusted Marshall and Pinckney and they returned home. Gerry remained, hoping to prevent a war with France, but his efforts for peace were unsuccessful and the government recalled him. The Republicans of Massachusetts nominated him for governor, but in the election he was defeated by Caleb Strong by a small majority. He was elected, however, in 1810 and again in 1811. His dismissal of all the incumbents in the civil offices and appointment of Republicans, together with the redistricting the state in the interests of his party?the origin of the word "Gerrymander," as applied to political actions?lost to him the control of the state government which with the next U.S. congress passed over to the Federalist party. In 1812 his party made him their nominee for Vice-President, and he was elected on the ticket with James Madison for President. He presided over the deliberations of the senate during the first, second and part of the third session of the 13th congress, up to the time of his death. He married Ann, daughter of Charles Thompson, clerk of the Continental congress, and she with six daughters and three sons survived him. He was a fellow of the American academy of sciences and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Harvard in 1810. He died in Washington, D.C., Nov. 23, 1814, and was buried in the congressional burial ground where the government erected a monument to his memory. [p.270]

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor