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Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge-gerry-painting.jpg
5th Vice President of the United States
In office
March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1814
President James Madison
Preceded by George Clinton
Succeeded by Daniel D. Tompkins
9th Governor of Massachusetts
In office
June 10, 1810 – March 4, 1812
Lieutenant William Gray
Preceded by Christopher Gore
Succeeded by Caleb Strong
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Shearjashub Bourne
Peleg Coffin Jr.
Personal details
Born Elbridge Thomas Gerry
(1744-07-17)July 17, 1744
Marblehead, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died November 23, 1814(1814-11-23) (aged 70)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place Congressional Cemetery
Political party Democratic-Republican
Spouse(s) Ann Thompson
Children 10
Alma mater Harvard University
Religion Episcopalianism
Signature Cursive signature in ink

Elbridge Thomas Gerry (/ˈɛlbrɪ ˈɡɛri/; July 17, 1744 (O.S. July 6, 1744) – November 23, 1814) was an American statesman and diplomat. As a Democratic-Republican he was selected as the fifth Vice President of the United States (1813–14), serving under James Madison. He is known best for being the namesake of gerrymandering, a process by which electoral districts are drawn with the aim of aiding the party in power, although its initial "g" has softened to // from the hard /ɡ/ of his name.

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 but 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.


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