Elijah Paine (January 21, 1757 – April 28, 1842) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont, a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, ...

Education and career

Born on January 21, 1757, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Connecticut Colony, British America, Paine attended the public schools and served in the Continental Army from 1776 to 1777, 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 ...

. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1781 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and read law in 1784. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

from 1784 to 1787. He cultivated a farm and began a settlement at Williamstown, Vermont. He established a cloth factory and a saw and grist mill in Northfield, Vermont. He was secretary of the Vermont constitutional convention in 1786. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1787 to 1789. He was a Judge of the Probate Court for the Randolph District of Vermont from 1788 to 1791. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont from 1791 to 1793.

Congressional service

Paine was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from Vermont in 1794. He was reelected as a Federalist in 1800 and served from March 4, 1795, to September 1, 1801, when he resigned to accept a federal judicial post.

Federal judicial service

Paine was nominated by President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

on February 24, 1801, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Samuel Hitchcock. He was confirmed by the

on February 25, 1801, and received his commission on March 3, 1801. His service terminated on April 1, 1842, due to his resignation.

Other service

Concurrent with his federal judicial service, Paine served as Postmaster of Williamstown, Vermont from 1815 to 1842.

Death

Paine died on April 28, 1842, in Williamstown. He was interred in West Hill Cemetery in Williamstown.

Family

The son of Seth Paine, Paine married Sarah Porter of Plymouth,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. They had four sons; Martin Paine, an eminent physician; Elijah Paine Jr., a judge of the New York Supreme Court; George Paine, a prominent lawyer; and

Charles Paine Charles Paine (April 15, 1799 – July 6, 1853) was an American Whig politician, woolen mill owner, merchant, railroad builder, and the 15th governor of Vermont. Biography Paine was the son of Elijah Paine and Sarah (Porter) Paine, and was bo ...

, who was

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

from 1841 to 1843.

Memberships

Paine was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1812, and a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1813.

References

Sources

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Govtrack US Congress
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paine, Elijah 1757 births 1842 deaths People from Brooklyn, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut American people of English descent Federalist Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont Federalists Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont United States federal judges appointed by John Adams 18th-century American judges United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Harvard College alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the American Antiquarian Society Continental Army soldiers