Tristram Dalton
| Tristram Dalton | |
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United States Senator from Massachusetts |
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In office March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1791 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | George Cabot |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 28, 1738 Newburyport, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 30, 1817 (aged 79) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Pro-Administration |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Profession | Merchant |
Tristram Dalton (May 28, 1738 – May 30, 1817) was an American politician and merchant from Massachusetts. He served a single term as one of the first United States Senators, from 1789 to 1791. He was for many years one of the leading citizens of Newburyport, Massachusetts, but lost most of his fortune due to ill-timed and mismanaged investments in the real estate of Washington, D.C.
Tristram Dalton was born in a part of Newbury, Massachusetts that is now Newburyport, the only child of Michael and Mary (Little) Dalton. He attended Dummer Academy in Byfield, and graduated from Harvard College in 1755, in a class that also included John Adams. Afterwards, he studied law and was admitted to the bar, but did not practice, instead pursuing a career as a merchant. Dalton's father was a ship's captain turned merchant, involved in trade with Europe and the West Indies, and was instrumental in securing the separation of Newburyport from Newbury. Upon his father's death in 1770, Tristram inherited an estate and local businesses that made him Newburyport's wealthiest citizen.
Dalton was not significantly involved in politics until 1774, when the tensions of the American Revolution were rising but the American Revolutionary War had not yet started. He was elected to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the Newburyport board of selectmen in 1774, and was an active proponent of indendepence after the war broke out. His contributions included provisioning of ships from his merchant fleet to the Penobscot Expedition of 1780. Dalton served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1782 to 1785, and served as its speaker in 1784. He served as a Massachusetts state senator from 1786 to 1788.
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