Gerry, Elbridge, 1744-1814
Name Entries
person
Gerry, Elbridge, 1744-1814
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Surname :
Gerry
Forename :
Elbridge
Date :
1744-1814
eng
Latn
authorizedForm
rda
Columbian Patriot, 1744-1814
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Forename :
Columbian Patriot
Date :
1744-1814
eng
Latn
alternativeForm
rda
Gerry, Elbridge Thomas, 1744-1814
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Surname :
Gerry
Forename :
Elbridge Thomas
Date :
1744-1814
eng
Latn
alternativeForm
rda
Genders
Male
Exist Dates
Biographical History
Elbridge Thomas Gerry (July 17, 1744 (OS July 6, 1744) – November 23, 1814) was an American politician and diplomat. As a Democratic-Republican he served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from March 1813 until his death in November 1814. The political practice of gerrymandering is named after Gerry.
Born into a wealthy merchant family, Gerry vocally opposed British colonial policy in the 1760s and was active in the early stages of organizing the resistance in the American Revolutionary War. Elected to the Second Continental Congress, Gerry signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He was one of three men who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 who refused to sign the United States Constitution because it did not then include a Bill of Rights. After its ratification he was elected to the inaugural United States Congress, where he was actively involved in drafting and passage of the Bill of Rights as an advocate of individual and state liberties.
Gerry was at first opposed to the idea of political parties, and cultivated enduring friendships on both sides of the political divide between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. He was a member of a diplomatic delegation to France that was treated poorly in the XYZ Affair, in which Federalists held him responsible for a breakdown in negotiations. Gerry thereafter became a Democratic-Republican, running unsuccessfully for Governor of Massachusetts several times before winning the office in 1810. During his second term, the legislature approved new state senate districts that led to the coining of the word "gerrymander"; he lost the next election, although the state senate remained Democratic-Republican. Chosen by Madison as his vice presidential candidate in 1812, Gerry was elected, but died a year and a half into his term. He is the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who is buried in Washington, DC.
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Latn
External Related CPF
https://viaf.org/viaf/1254054
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50017112
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n50017112
https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q219797
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Languages Used
eng
Latn
Subjects
Bunker Hill, Battle of, Boston, Mass., 1775
Canadian Invasion, 1775-1776
Commerce
Constitutional convention
Constitutional history
Diplomats
Epidemics
Finance
Finance, Public
Historians
Legislators
Louisiana Purchase
Merchants
Money
Navigation
Presidents
Presidents
Saltpeter industry
Saratoga Campaign, N.Y., 1777
Smallpox
Vice presidents
Women historians
XYZ Affair, 1797-1798
Nationalities
Americans
Activities
Occupations
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
Governor
Merchants
Representatives, U.S. Congress
State Representative
Vice presidents
Legal Statuses
Places
Philadelphia
PA, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Marblehead
MA, US
AssociatedPlace
Birth
New York City
NY, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Boston
MA, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
District of Columbia
DC, US
AssociatedPlace
Death
Convention Declarations
<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>