Nathaniel Ropes (c. 1726 – March 18, 1774) was a justice of theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1772 to 1774. He was appointed by GovernorThomas Hutchinson.
Ropes graduatedHarvard University in 1745 with a degree in law and started out as a lawyer. He was a representative ofSalem in thecolonial legislature in 1760 and 1761,[1] and served on theGovernor’s Council from 1762 to 1768.[2] He was also a judge on theInferior Court of Common Pleas and a judge of probate until 1772, when he was appointed as a justice on theSuperior Court of Judicature.[2] Ropes was soon brought into controversy over how judges were paid at the time. Although he was acquainted with patriots such asJohn Adams, an issue remained where he still held loyalist views.[2] Just before or during theRevolutionary War a mob is said to have raged outside of the house to protest his loyalist ties.[3] In one of the traditional narratives, this event takes place in March 1774 when Ropes was on his deathbed withsmallpox. The mob was supposedly a contributing factor as he died the following day.[2]
TheNathaniel Ropes Mansion in Central Salem is named for him.[4]
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| Preceded by | Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1772–1774 | Succeeded by |
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