Christopher Gore
Encyclopedia
Christopher Gore was a prominent Massachusetts
lawyer, Federalist
politician, and diplomat.
and graduated from Harvard College
in 1776, and served in the Continental Army
as a clerk with an artillery regiment. After the war, he became a Boston
lawyer and in 1785 married Rebecca Amory Payne, daughter of a wealthy merchant and maritime insurer as well as a director of the Bank of Massachusetts.
One of the young men whom he trained and mentored in his law practice was Daniel Webster
.
Gore's political career began in 1788 when he was elected a delegate to the 1789 Massachusetts convention to ratify the Constitution. He was also elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
(1788-1789, and again in 1808).
President George Washington
appointed Gore the first United States Attorney
for Massachusetts, in which post he served 1789-1796.
In 1796, Washington appointed Gore as a commissioner to the Jay Treaty
in Britain, in which post he served 1796-1803. Gore also spent two months as chargé d'affaires
in London
, 1803-1804, after his friend Rufus King
resigned from his post. He remained abroad until 1804.
Soon after his return, Gore was elected to the Massachusetts Senate
. He ran for Governor of the Commonwealth in 1807 and 1808 before winning a one-year term in 1809. He served as an overseer of Harvard University from 1810-1815 and later a fellow (1812-1820). Gore Hall a Gothic style building built in 1838 of Quincy granite was Harvard's first library building and was named in his honor.
In the spring of 1813 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Lloyd (Massachusetts)
. He served from May 5, 1813 to May 30, 1816. He retired to his country home in Waltham, Massachusetts
in 1816, where he remained until 1822 when declining health forced him to return to Boston. He died in 1827 in Waltham, and is buried in the Granary Burying Ground
, Boston.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
lawyer, Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
politician, and diplomat.
Biography
Gore was born in Boston in 1758, the tenth of thirteen children of Frances and John Gore, a successful merchant and artisan. He attended Boston Latin SchoolBoston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
and graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1776, and served in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
as a clerk with an artillery regiment. After the war, he became a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
lawyer and in 1785 married Rebecca Amory Payne, daughter of a wealthy merchant and maritime insurer as well as a director of the Bank of Massachusetts.
One of the young men whom he trained and mentored in his law practice was Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
.
Gore's political career began in 1788 when he was elected a delegate to the 1789 Massachusetts convention to ratify the Constitution. He was also elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
(1788-1789, and again in 1808).
President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
appointed Gore the first United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for Massachusetts, in which post he served 1789-1796.
In 1796, Washington appointed Gore as a commissioner to the Jay Treaty
Jay Treaty
Jay's Treaty, , also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, and the Treaty of London of 1794, was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war,, resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the American Revolution,, and...
in Britain, in which post he served 1796-1803. Gore also spent two months as chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1803-1804, after his friend Rufus King
Rufus King
Rufus King was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He also attended the Constitutional Convention and was one of the signers of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
resigned from his post. He remained abroad until 1804.
Soon after his return, Gore was elected to the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
. He ran for Governor of the Commonwealth in 1807 and 1808 before winning a one-year term in 1809. He served as an overseer of Harvard University from 1810-1815 and later a fellow (1812-1820). Gore Hall a Gothic style building built in 1838 of Quincy granite was Harvard's first library building and was named in his honor.
In the spring of 1813 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Lloyd (Massachusetts)
James Lloyd (Massachusetts)
James Lloyd was a Federalist United States Senator from Massachusetts during the early years of the United States....
. He served from May 5, 1813 to May 30, 1816. He retired to his country home in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
in 1816, where he remained until 1822 when declining health forced him to return to Boston. He died in 1827 in Waltham, and is buried in the Granary Burying Ground
Granary Burying Ground
Founded in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground in Massachusetts is the city of Boston's third-oldest cemetery. Located on Tremont Street, it is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Paul Revere and the five...
, Boston.