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David Cobb (Massachusetts politician)

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For the Green Party politician, see David Cobb (activist).

David Cobb
portrait by Gilbert Stuart
8th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office
1809–1810
GovernorChristopher Gore
Preceded byLevi Lincoln Sr.
Succeeded byWilliam Gray
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795
Preceded bySeat created
Succeeded bySeat eliminated
President of the Massachusetts Senate
In office
1801–1805
Preceded bySamuel Phillips Jr.
Succeeded byHarrison Gray Otis
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives[1]
In office
May 1789[1] – January 1793[1]
Preceded byTheodore Sedgwick
Succeeded byEdward Robbins
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives[1]
In office
May 1789[1] – January 1793[1]
Personal details
Born(1748-09-14)September 14, 1748
Attleborough, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
DiedApril 17, 1830(1830-04-17) (aged 81)
Taunton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyFederalist
SpouseEleanor Bradish[2]
RelationsRobert Treat Paine, brother in law.[3]
Children11[4]
ProfessionPhysician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States Continental Congress
Branch/serviceContinental Army, Massachusetts Militia
Years of service1776–1781, 1786
Ranklieutenant colonel, major general
Unit16th Massachusetts Regiment-Henry Jackson's regiment Massachusetts Militia, aide-de-camp on the staff of General George Washington
CommandsFifth Division of the Massachusetts Militia[1]
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War, New York and New Jersey campaign, Battle of Springfield, Battle of Monmouth. Battle of Rhode Island,[3] Shays' Rebellion

David Cobb (September 14, 1748 – April 17, 1830) was a Massachusetts physician, military officer, jurist, and politician who served as a U.S. Congressman for Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat.

Biography

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Born in Attleborough in the Province of Massachusetts Bay on September 14, 1748, Cobb graduated from Harvard College in 1766. He studied medicine in Boston and afterward practiced in Taunton. He was a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1775; lieutenant colonel of Jackson's regiment in 1777 and 1778, serving in Rhode Island and New Jersey; was aide-de-camp on the staff of General George Washington; appointed major general of militia in 1786 and rendered conspicuous service during Shays' Rebellion. He was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780.[5] Cobb was also admitted as an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the state of Massachusetts at the conclusion of the war.[6]

Massachusetts government

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He served as a judge of the Bristol County Court of Common Pleas 1784–1796, and as a member of the State House of Representatives 1789–1793, and the Massachusetts Senate, and served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and President of the Massachusetts Senate.

Congress

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Cobb was elected to the Third United States Congress (March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795). He is the only person elected to the U.S. House via Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat.

Maine

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Cobb moved to Gouldsboro in the District of Maine in 1796 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; elected to the Massachusetts Senate from the eastern District of Maine in 1802 and served as president; elected to the Massachusetts Governor's Council in 1808; Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1809; member of the board of military defense in 1812; chief justice of the Hancock County (Maine) court of common pleas; returned in 1817 to Taunton, where he died on April 17, 1830. His remains were interred in Plain Cemetery.

Cobb was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.[7]

Legacy

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In 1976, David Cobb was honored by being on a postage stamp for the United States Postal Service.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Porter, Joseph Whitcomb (July–August 1888), Bangor Historical Magazine Vol. IV Memoir of Gen. David Cobb and family of Gouldsborough, Maine, and Taunton, Mass, Bangor, Maine, p. 2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Porter, p. 6.
  3. ^ a b The Daughters of Liberty (1904), Historical researches of Gouldsboro, Maine, Gouldsboro, Maine: The Daughters of Liberty, p. 22
  4. ^ Porter, pp. 6–7.
  5. ^ "Charter of Incorporation of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  6. ^ Metcalf, Bryce (1938). Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and List of the Officers of General and State Societies. Virginia Military Institute Library: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., Strasburg, Virginia. p. 88.
  7. ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory

References

[edit]
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
May 1789 – January 1793 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
May 1789 – January 1793 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Seat created
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat
March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795 		Succeeded by
Seat eliminated
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Massachusetts State Senate
1801–1805 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Massachusetts State Senate
1801–1805 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
1809–1810 		Succeeded by
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