Benjamin Goodhue (September 20, 1748July 28, 1814) was a
Representative
Representative may refer to:
Politics
* Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people
* House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities
* Legislator, som ...
and a
Senator from
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. He supported the
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, and was a strong member of the
Federalist Party. He was described by contemporaries as a leading member of the so-called
Essex Junto
The Essex Junto was a powerful group of New England Federalist Party lawyers, merchants, and politicians, so called because many in the original group were from Essex County, Massachusetts.
Origins and definition
The term was coined as an inv ...
, a group of Massachusetts Federalists, most of whom were from
Essex County.
Biography
Benjamin Goodhue was born in
Salem in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...
to Benjamin and Martha (Hardy) Goodue. His father was a blacksmith by trade, but later became a successful merchant. The younger Benjamin graduated from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
in 1766 and joined his father in the merchant business. He remained active as a merchant during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, and was a member of the state constitutional conventions of 1779 and 1780, the latter one producing the present
Constitution of Massachusetts
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual state governments that make up the United States of America. As a member of the Massachuset ...
. He then won election as a state representative to the inaugural
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 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
in 1780, and was later elected to the state senate, serving in 1783 and 1786–1788. After adoption of the
United States Constitution, Goodhue was elected to the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1789, until his resignation in June 1796.
Goodhue was a supporter of the strong central government, and joined the
Federalist Party when it was organized. He was one of a number of prominent Federalists from Essex County that were described by
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...
as the "
Essex Junto
The Essex Junto was a powerful group of New England Federalist Party lawyers, merchants, and politicians, so called because many in the original group were from Essex County, Massachusetts.
Origins and definition
The term was coined as an inv ...
". He was one of two Congressmen who drafted the nation's first revenue code. He served as chairman of the
Committee on Commerce and Manufactures in the
Fourth United States Congress
The 4th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...
. He was elected in 1796 to the United States Senate, filling a vacancy caused by the resignation of
George Cabot
George Cabot (1751 or 1752April 18, 1823) was an American merchant, seaman, and politician from Massachusetts. He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and was the presiding officer of the infamous Hartford Convention.
During and after hi ...
. He was reelected and served from June 11, 1796, to November 8, 1800, when he resigned and retired from public service. He died in Salem on July 28, 1814.
Legacy
Goodhue is buried in Salem's Broad Street Cemetery. A
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...
was named in his honor.
Notes
References
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodhue, Benjamin
1748 births
1814 deaths
Harvard College alumni
Massachusetts state senators
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
United States senators from Massachusetts
Federalist Party United States senators
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Politicians from Salem, Massachusetts
Burials at Broad Street Cemetery
People of colonial Massachusetts
18th-century American politicians