Cabot, George

Cabot, George

(kăb`ət), 1752–1823, American merchant and politician, b. Salem, Mass. He went to sea and became captain of one of the ships owned by his brothers John and Andrew Cabot of Beverly, who in 1777 took him into their firm. Cabot also helped develop the family's cotton mills in Beverly. A Federalist, he was (1791–96) one of Alexander HamiltonHamilton, Alexander,
1755–1804, American statesman, b. Nevis, in the West Indies. Early Career

He was the illegitimate son of James Hamilton (of a prominent Scottish family) and Rachel Faucett Lavien (daughter of a doctor-planter on Nevis and the estranged
..... Click the link for more information. 's most trusted followers in the U.S. Senate. Made a director of the Bank of the United States in 1793, he became president of its Boston branch in 1803. In the Federalist discontent at the beginning of the 19th cent., Cabot was a leader of the Essex JuntoEssex Junto,
group of New England merchants and lawyers, so called because many of them came from Essex co., Mass. They opposed the radicals in Massachusetts in the American Revolution and supported the Federalist faction of Alexander Hamilton.
..... Click the link for more information.  and presided over the Hartford ConventionHartford Convention,
Dec. 15, 1814–Jan. 4, 1815, meeting to consider the problems of New England in the War of 1812; held at Hartford, Conn. Prior to the war, New England Federalists (see Federalist party) had opposed the Embargo Act of 1807 and other government measures;
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See biography by his grandson, H. C. Lodge (1877).

Cabot, George

(1752–1823) merchant, U.S. senator; born in Salem, Mass. After youthful years at sea (1768–77), he made a substantial fortune as a shipper and merchant; he also worked with his family's cotton mills. As a staunch Federalist, he became a close associate of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, championing ratification of the Constitution in 1788. He was one of the most prominent members of the Essex Junto, wealthy Federalists from Essex County, Mass. Representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate (1791–96), he favored cooperation with Great Britain; he returned to his business afterward. During the War of 1812, he presided over the Hartford Convention (1814), convened to rally Federalist opposition to the war, but he served only as a moderating influence.