Moses Gill | |
|---|---|
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| Acting Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office June 7, 1799 – May 20, 1800 | |
| Lieutenant | Himself |
| Preceded by | Increase Sumner |
| Succeeded by | Governor's Council |
| 4th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office May 29, 1794 – May 20, 1800 | |
| Governor | Samuel Adams (1794–1797 Increase Sumner (1797–1799) Himself (1799–1800) |
| Preceded by | Samuel Adams |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Phillips Jr. |
| Committee of Safety | |
| In office October 7, 1774 – February 1, 1775 | |
| Constituency | At-large (Commissary Officer) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 18, 1733 |
| Died | May 20, 1800(1800-05-20) (aged 67) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Prince (1759–71) Rebecca Boylston Gill (1773–89) |
| Signature |  |
Moses Gill (January 18, 1733 – May 20, 1800) was an American merchant and politician who served as the actinggovernor of Massachusetts from 1799 to 1800, when he died in office, the only acting governor to do so. A successful businessman, he became one of the most prominent colonists inPrinceton, Massachusetts, entering politics shortly before theAmerican Revolutionary War. He served on theMassachusetts Provincial Congress's executive committee until the state adoptedits constitution in 1780, after which he continued to serve on the state'sGovernor's Council.
Elected lieutenant governor in 1794, he served in that office under GovernorsSamuel Adams andIncrease Sumner until the latter died shortly after winning reelection in 1799. Gill served an apparently undistinguished term as acting governor until his own death in 1800, ten days before his successor,Caleb Strong, assumed office. Gill was a significant benefactor and founder ofLeicester Academy, and supported the congregational church in Princeton, where the family had a large estate.
Moses Gill was born January 18, 1733, to John and Elizabeth (Abbot) Gill inCharlestown,Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was one of the younger sons in a long line of children which includedJohn Gill, who would become well known in the colonies as printer of theBoston Gazette.[1][2] Gill entered business as a local merchant inBoston.[3] In 1759 he marriedSarah Prince, daughter to pastorThomas Prince of Boston'sOld South Church. Upon her father's death the couple inherited Prince's lands in westernWorcester County, one of the largest tracts in what became the town ofPrinceton.[4] In 1767 he retired from his business activities, and the couple divided their time between Boston and Princeton. Sarah died childless in 1771.[5] Gill remarried in 1772 to Rebecca Boylston, a scion of the influential Boylston family and sister ofHarvard College benefactor Nicholas Boylston.[1] They were also childless; when his brother John died, Gill adopted one of his sons.[1] The Gills were known to own several slaves.[6]
In 1774, Gill entered politics, winning election to the provincial assembly.[5] The assembly was dissolved by GovernorThomas Gage under the terms of theMassachusetts Government Act (a punishment of Massachusetts for theBoston Tea Party), but its members met shortly afterwards and reconstituted themselves as theMassachusetts Provincial Congress.[7][8] Gill served on this body's executive council, which functioned as thede facto executive of the state untilits constitution was adopted in 1780.[9] When theAmerican Revolutionary War broke in April 1775, Gill became involved in the early military organization of theSiege of Boston, heading the provincial congress' supply committee.[10] He was also delegated, along with GeneralArtemas Ward, to meetGeorge Washington inSpringfield and escort him to the army camps outside Boston.[11]
Because of his prominence in Worcester County Gill was appointed to the county's district court when it was reorganized after the revolution began.[12] In this role he sat on the panel that heard the preliminary cases in 1781 involvingQuock Walker, an African American seeking a declaration of his freedom. Gill's panel decided in Walker's favor, and theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court eventually confirmed the judgments on appeal, declaring that slavery was incompatible with the state constitution.[13]
He continued to serve in the General Court (state legislature), winning election to the state senate annually from 1780, and being chosen by that body to serve on theGovernor's Council. He stood for election to theUnited States House of Representatives in the1789 election (the first after the adoption of theUnited States Constitution) but was defeated byJonathan Grout.[9] After the death of the immensely popular GovernorJohn Hancock in 1793, the state's gubernatorial election of 1794 was a wide open race. Gill was one of several nominees for lieutenant governor, and received more votes than all nominees except the winning gubernatorial candidate,Samuel Adams. With no candidates for lieutenant governor receiving a majority, the General Court decided the election, choosing Gill.[14] He thereafter won annual reelection to that post. In 1796 the aging Adams announced he would not run for reelection the following spring, and again the election was a wide open affair. Theparty system was still taking shape in the state, and theFederalists nominatedIncrease Sumner, while more populist factions that had previously supported Hancock and Adams nominated Gill andJames Sullivan. Although Gill polled well in Boston and the eastern counties (present-dayMaine), the Federalists won a decisive victory over the divided opposition. Since he was also nominated by one faction as lieutenant governor, Gill was again returned to that post.[15] The principal issues in this and subsequent elections were over federal policy: specifically the national response to threats of war withRevolutionary France, and the consequent need for increased taxes to arm the nation.[16] Gill's politics are unclear: historian Anson Morse is of the opinion that his popularity was not sufficient to head the ticket of either the Federalists or theDemocratic-Republicans.[17] Historian John Barry observes that Gill's term as acting governor, even though it was for essentially a full year, was "too short to be particularly distinguished".[18]
Sumner easily won reelection in 1798 and 1799, but was ill during the 1799 race, which he won by a landslide. Constitutional issues were raised because he was on his deathbed and it was uncertain that he could even take the oath of office. Sumner finally took the oath of office in early June, but died a few days later, at which point Gill became acting governor.[19] Gill served out Sumner's term, and was considered a candidate for the governorship as the 1800 election approached.[17] The election primarily pitted FederalistCaleb Strong against Democratic-RepublicanElbridge Gerry, and was won by Strong.[20] Gill was derided by his opponents as the preferred candidate of the wealthy, and Federalists were accused of promoting him as a candidate in order to divide the opposition. Gill died on May 20, before Strong was informed of the victory, resulting in the only time in the state's history when the offices of governor and lieutenant governor were both formally vacant.[21] As a result, the Governor's Council ruled the state for ten days.[22] (The council had governed several times during the colonial period under similar circumstances;[23] the state constitution was amended in 1918 to remove the council from the gubernatorial succession.)[24]
Gill was a member and major supporter of the Congregational Church in Princeton, and a founding trustee and benefactor ofLeicester Academy.[3] He was also for many years president of the Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Indians.[9]Gill, Massachusetts is named in his honor.[25]
Gill also made civic contributions to the town of Princeton. Land he donated became the town's original center (located about one-half mile from thecurrent town center). This land includes one the town's earliest cemeteries, which is where Gill and other members of his family are interred. His estate, located near the town center, was reputed to be one of the largest and most magnificent of its time in Worcester County. His second wife's nephew,Ward Nicholas Boylston, inherited the estate; in addition to many other charitable works, Boylston was a major contributor to the establishment of Princeton's present town center.[26]
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