Fisher Ames
| Fisher Ames | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 8th district |
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In office March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797 |
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| Preceded by | District reissued in 1795 |
| Succeeded by | Harrison Gray Otis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st district |
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In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1795 Serving with Samuel Dexter, Benjamin Goodhue, and Samuel Holten from 1793-1795 (General Ticket) |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Sedgwick |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
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In office 1788 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 9, 1758 Dedham, Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | July 4, 1808 (aged 50) Dedham, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Old First Parish Cemetery, Dedham, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Fisher Ames (/eɪmz/; April 9, 1758 – July 4, 1808) was a Representative in the United States Congress from the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts. He was an important leader of the Federalist Party in the House, and was noted for his oratorical skill.
Ames was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. His father, a physician, died when Fisher was but six years old, but his mother resolved, in spite of her limited income, to give the boy a classical education. At the age of six he began the study of Latin, and at the age of twelve, he was sent to Harvard College, graduating in 1774 when he began work as a teacher. While teaching school Ames also studied law. He was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Dedham in 1781.
His father, Dr. Nathaniel Ames, was the author of the Ames Almanack, "which were the inspiration for the Poor Richard's Almanack."
In 1788, he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He became a member of the Massachusetts convention that ratified the United States Constitution that same year.
Ames was elected to the First United States Congress, having beaten Samuel Adams for the post. He also served in the Second and Third Congresses and as a Federalist to the Fourth Congress. He served in Congress from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1797. During the First Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Elections. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1793. In 1796, he was not a candidate for renomination but resumed the practice of law in Dedham. He stayed in politics and was a member of the Governor's Council from 1798 to 1800. In his new role, Ames offered one of the great orations on the death of President Washington. He also published a number of essays, critical of Jefferson's followers. He was a member of the Federalist Party, specifically its Essex Junto.
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