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Elbridge GerryAmerican statesman and diplomat.
Date of Birth: 17.07.1744
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Elbridge Gerry: A Statesman and Diplomat
- Political Career
- Member of the First National Government
- Diplomatic Mission to France
- Democrat-Republican and Governor of Massachusetts
- Vice-Presidency and Legacy
Elbridge Gerry: A Statesman and Diplomat
Early Life and EducationElbridge Gerry was born in the small town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1744. He was the third of twelve children. Gerry graduated from Harvard College with a medical degree, which he pursued from the age of fourteen.
Political Career
Gerry began his political career in the Massachusetts Provincial Assembly in 1772. He represented Massachusetts in the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1780 and served in the army from 1783 to 1785. In 1787, he participated in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Member of the First National Government
Gerry was elected to the House of Representatives under the new national government. He served in Congress from 1789 to 1793, supporting measures proposed by Alexander Hamilton, including the assumption of state debts and the creation of the First Bank of the United States.
Diplomatic Mission to France
In 1797, Gerry was appointed to a delegation sent to France. The delegation was insulted by the French in the "XYZ Affair." Gerry remained in France after his colleagues returned, leading to accusations from Federalists that he supported the French.
Democrat-Republican and Governor of Massachusetts
Gerry returned to the United States in 1798 and joined the Democratic-Republican Party. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of Massachusetts several times before finally being elected in 1810. He was re-elected in 1811 but lost in 1812 due to his support for the redistricting law that yielded the term "gerrymandering."
Vice-Presidency and Legacy
Gerry was elected vice-president under James Madison in 1813. He died in office in 1814 from heart failure and was buried in Washington, D.C. The term "gerrymandering" was coined in 1812 when the Massachusetts legislature redrew legislative district boundaries to benefit Gerry's party. The term has become a fixture in American political vocabulary. The town of Elbridge in Onondaga County, New York, is named after him.
