Robert Treat Paine is reportedly part of a lineage that has shaped history in significant and lasting respects. One of his ancestors, in the 9thcentury, united most of western and central Europe, Charlemagne. Another led the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and became king of it, William the Conqueror. Others of this reported heritage include Alfred the Great and Saer de Quincy, a Magna Carte baron. And six generations before Mr. Paine, his ancestor, Stephen Hopkins contributed to the establishment of Jamestown, VA and Plymouth, MA. Mr. Hopkins also signed the Mayflower Compact.

The man who would sign the Declaration of Independence and would found the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was born on March 11, 1731, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was schooled at the reputable Boston Latin School and went on to be educated at Harvard College. 

Robert Treat Paine was not particularly one of firm, solid health. To strengthen himself, he sought employment on the high seas for several years. Some of his work included leading a whaling expedition from Cape Cod to Greenland. During a break between maritime expeditions, Mr. Paine served as a chaplain to a military unit during the French and Indian War. He was firmly convinced of the veracity of the scriptures. He believed they were given to teach man his function and place in the world and to know the path to bliss beyond this life.  

He made one more voyage and it was during this expedition he decided to leave the field of Christian religious instruction and become a lawyer. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1757. His practice was located in Taunton. 

Robert Treat Paine’s enthusiasm for the patriotic cause can be tangibly measured first by his celebration of the repeal of the Stamp Act. Then on March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred when a heated confrontation took place between British troops and an eventual crowd of nearly 400 colonists. The impetus for the larger confrontation in the afternoon began in the morning when Captain Lieutenant John Goldfinch and colonist Edward Garrick entered into a contentious argument. Mr. Garrick and others returned to the spot of the argument on King St. later in the day and began haranguing the first soldier they encountered. More and more passersby joined the confrontation. Tensions boiled over and the soldiers fired upon the crowd. Three were killed. Two would die later from wounds sustained and 11 were injured. 

Mr. Paine led the prosecution of the soldiers. The defendants’ counsel was John Adams. In the end, a jury found two of the soldiers guilty of manslaughter, a lesser charge than murder. The other six troops were acquitted. Despite not winning a conviction for all the soldiers, Mr. Paine raised his profile and earned himself a good reputation in the colonies. In 1774, he was elected to the Continental Congress by his peers in the Massachusetts General Court. In a move of intrigue, he engineered the absence of one committee member, a loyalist, who would have tipped off the governor who would have dissolved the court. 

He remained hopeful the Congress could persuade the crown to reconcile with the colonies. In July 1775, he and the other delegates signed the Olive Branch Petition sent to King George III with the hope of avoiding military conflict. The king rejected it. Mr. Paine recognized war as the next natural course. 

Robert Treat Paine was an active congressional delegate. He participated on many committees including chairing the committee which procured munitions for the Continental Army. He was well known, but maybe not well liked for the manner in which he engaged in debate of the Congress’s business. Benjamin Rush said he “seldom proposed anything, but opposed nearly every measure that was proposed by other people.” Dr. Rush nicknamed him the “Objection Maker.” 

He was reelected to Congress in 1777, but he decided to remain in Massachusetts and serve in state politics. He served as legislative speaker and became his state’s first attorney general in 1777. Governor Hancock asked him to serve on the Supreme Court. He declined the first time, but accepted in 1796. Deafness caused him to retire after 14 years. He would live another decade and die on May 11, 1814.

Robert Treat Paine lived to be 83 years of age.