born July 17, 1744, Marblehead, Mass.
died Nov. 23, 1814, Washington, D.C., U.S.
U.S. statesman.
An early advocate of independence, he was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence . After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1789–93), he was sent to France in 1797 with Charles C. Pinckney to resolve disputes that resulted in the XYZ Affair . During his term as governor of Massachusetts (1810–11) the state legislature redrew district lines to favour Democratic-Republican candidates against the Federalists, a practice that became known as gerrymandering . In 1812 he advocated war with Britain and was elected vice president on a ticket with {{link=Madison, James">James Madison .