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Robert Treat Paine

 
Robert Treat Paine

 
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Robert Treat Paine
 
 
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Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
 as a representative of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
.

e was born in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, a descendant of early American settler Robert Treat. Paine attended the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School

The Boston Latin School is a public education Magnet school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts, making it the List of the oldest public high schools in the United States existing school in the United States....
, graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature....
 in 1749, and then taught school and studied theology. He became a merchant and traveled to the southern colonies, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, the Azores
Azores

The Azores is a Portugal archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km from Lisbon and about 3,900 km from the east coast of North America....
 and England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. He returned home and was admitted to the bar of Massachusetts in 1757 or 1759, practicing in Portland
Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Cumberland County, Maine. The city population was 64,249 at the 2000 United States Census....
 (then part of Massachusetts but now in Maine), and later in Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton, Massachusetts

Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area....
.

In 1768 he was a delegate to the provincial convention which was called to meet in Boston and conducted the prosecution of Captain Thomas Preston and his British soldiers following the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre refers to an incident involving the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British Army on March 5, 1770, the legal aftermath of which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British colonies in America, which culminated in the American Revolution....
 of March 5, 1770; John Adams was opposing counsel.






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Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
 as a representative of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
.

Biography

Paine was born in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, a descendant of early American settler Robert Treat. Paine attended the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School

The Boston Latin School is a public education Magnet school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts, making it the List of the oldest public high schools in the United States existing school in the United States....
, graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College

Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature....
 in 1749, and then taught school and studied theology. He became a merchant and traveled to the southern colonies, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, the Azores
Azores

The Azores is a Portugal archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km from Lisbon and about 3,900 km from the east coast of North America....
 and England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. He returned home and was admitted to the bar of Massachusetts in 1757 or 1759, practicing in Portland
Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Cumberland County, Maine. The city population was 64,249 at the 2000 United States Census....
 (then part of Massachusetts but now in Maine), and later in Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton, Massachusetts

Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area....
.

In 1768 he was a delegate to the provincial convention which was called to meet in Boston and conducted the prosecution of Captain Thomas Preston and his British soldiers following the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre refers to an incident involving the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British Army on March 5, 1770, the legal aftermath of which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British colonies in America, which culminated in the American Revolution....
 of March 5, 1770; John Adams was opposing counsel. While he was a great orator, Adam's "appeal for justice" won the judge's sway, and all the troops were let off, save for two whom were branded on their right thumbs for manslaughter.

He served in the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the State legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonialism Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases....
 from 1773 to 1774, in the Provincial Congress
Massachusetts Provincial Congress

The Massachusetts Provincial Congress was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution....
 from 1774 to 1775, and represented Massachusetts at the Continental Congress
Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
 from 1774 through 1778. In Congress, he signed the final appeal to the king (the Olive Branch Petition of 1775), and helped frame the rules of debate and acquire gunpowder for the coming war.

He was speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1777, a member of the executive council
Massachusetts Governor's Council

The Massachusetts Governor's Council is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matters such as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations to the Governor of Massachusetts....
 in 1779, a member of the committee that drafted the constitution of 1780, Massachusetts Attorney General from 1777 to 1790 and a justice of the state supreme court from 1790 to 1804 when he retired. When he died at the age of 83 in 1814 he was buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston. A statue to commemorate him was erected in the Church Green
Church Green

Church Green is a historic district in Taunton, Massachusetts. It is a triangular-shaped town common located at the intersection of Summer Street and Dean Street ....
 area of Taunton.

Paine is featured in the 2008 miniseries (miniseries) John Adams. In episode one, Paine prosecutes the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. After losing in court, Paine and some colleagues visit Adams at home and attempt to enlist his support and use his credibility as an impartial party in taking a stand against the British. He himself admires Adam's ability to be impartial even when he detests the British stationed in Boston.

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