George Cabot (senator)

George Cabot
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office March 4, 1791 – June 9, 1796
Preceded by	Tristram Dalton
Succeeded by	Benjamin Goodhue
Personal details
Born	(1752-12-03)December 3, 1752 Salem, Massachusetts
Died	Boston, Massachusetts
Political party	Pro-Administration
Children	Charles Cabot Henry Cabot Edward Cabot Elizabeth Cabot
Parents	Joseph Cabot Elizabeth Higginson
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Merchant

George Cabot (December 3, 1752 – April 18, 1823) was an American merchant, seaman, and politician from Boston. He represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and as the Presiding Officer of the Hartford Convention.

In 1789, President George Washington breakfasted at Cabot's Beverly, Massachusetts home when he was in town inspecting the country's first cotton mill and the newly constructed Essex Bridge that connected Beverly with Salem.

Early life

Cabot was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father was Joseph Cabot, a ship merchant. His mother was Elizabeth Higginson. He had ten siblings, three being: Capt. John Cabot (b. 1745), Joseph Cabot Jr. (b. 1746), and Samuel Cabot (b. 1758).

Cabot attended Harvard College for two years before dropping out to go to sea.

Career

By the age of twenty-one, he was captain of his own ship.

Political

A member of the Pro-Administration Party and a Federalist, Cabot's political career began in 1775, when he became a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. In 1777, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. In 1787, Cabot was a Delegate to the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1788. He was elected (as "Pro-Administration") to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1791 to June 9, 1796. In 1798, Cabot was appointed but declined to be the first United States Secretary of the Navy. He also became a delegate to the Hartford Convention of 1814.

Personal life

He had four children: Charles, Henry, Edward, and Elizabeth. Through Henry, Cabot was a great-grandfather of Henry Cabot Lodge.

Cabot died in Boston, Massachusetts in 1823, and was interred in the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

External links

• George Cabot at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Encyclopaedia Britannica George Cabot

United States Senate
Preceded by Tristram Dalton	U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Massachusetts 1791–1796 Served alongside: Caleb Strong	Succeeded by Benjamin Goodhue