born Feb. 5, 1725, West Barnstable, Mass.
died May 23, 1783, Andover, Mass., U.S.
American Revolutionary statesman.
He argued before the colonial court against the British-imposed writs of assistance (1761), reportedly stating "Taxation without representation is tyranny." He served in the provincial legislature (176169) and was a leading opponent, along with Samuel Adams , of the Stamp Act . He wrote political pamphlets upholding the colonists' cause, including The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1764). Struck on the head in a scuffle with a British official in 1769, he later became mentally unbalanced.