born March 24, 1755, Scarborough, Mass.
died April 29, 1827, Jamaica, N.Y., U.S.
U.S. diplomat.
He was a delegate to the Continental Congress (1784–87), where he called for a new constitution. He helped frame the Constitution of the United States and effected its ratification by Massachusetts. In 1788 he moved to New York, where he was elected one of the state's first U.S. senators (1789–96, 1813–25). He became a strong leader of the Federalist Party and introduced the antislavery provision of the 1787 document that formed part of the Northwest Ordinances . He served as ambassador to Britain from 1796 to 1803 and from 1825 to 1826.