Elijah Paine was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.
Background
Elijah Paine was born on January 21, 1757 in Brooklyn, Connecticut, United States. He was the second of eight children born to Seth and Mabel (Tyler) Paine. His ancestors, of English descent on both sides, had long resided in New England.
Education
Financial difficulties delayed Elijah Paine's preparation for college. He was studying under the direction of his uncle, Reverend John Paine of Sturbridge, Massachussets, when in September 1776 he decided to join the Revolutionary army. Military life, however, especially garrison duty at Fort Washington, New York, proved uninteresting, and the war promised to drag on indefinitely. Young Paine shortly returned to his studies. In the fall of 1777 he entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1781.
Career
Elijah Paine's high standing is indicated by his nomination in 1782 as first orator by the newly founded chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and his election as its president in 1783. Meanwhile, he had begun to study law in Boston, under Benjamin Lincoln, and in 1784 was admitted to the bar. Seeking a place to establish himself, he followed the trend of migration northward to Vermont, pushing deep into the backwoods. With a few friends he made the first settlement at Williamstown during the summer of 1784. Here he cleared a large farm. Here, too, and also in the neighboring township of Northfield, he built saw and grist mills.
In early Vermont he became a farmer on a large scale, a breeder of animals of many sorts, leading the way in popularizing merino sheep. By 1812 he had a flock of 1500 head. Then with characteristic energy he built in Northfield a large woollen-mill, where he produced flannels and broadcloths. Already, in 1803, he had constructed a turnpike connecting his district with the capital at Montpelier. In 1825 he became the first president of the Bank of Montpelier. Meanwhile he was taking an active part in politics. Only two years after his arrival in Vermont he was a member and secretary of the constitutional convention of 1786. From 1787 to 1790 he was in the lower house of the state legislature. He served thereafter as judge of probate in the Randolph district (1788 - 1791), as justice of the state supreme court (1791 - 1793), as United States senator (1795 - 1801), as judge of the United States district court for Vermont, under one of Adams' "midnight" appointments (1801 - 1842), and simultaneously as postmaster of his village (1815 - 1842). He early aligned himself with the Federalists. He voted for the ratification of the Jay treaty, though at the cost of some unpopularity at home. In general he seems to have carried out his public duties with ability, but neither in Washington nor on the bench in Vermont did he leave any particular mark.
Elijah Paine was an aggressive leader of the anti-Wheelock faction in 1815 and thereafter. He died on April 28, 1842.
Achievements
Politics
Elijah Paine was a member of Federalist party.
Membership
Elijah Paine was the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Antiquarian Society. For many years he was president of the Vermont Colonization Society.
Personality
Elijah Paine was by nature a man of affairs, quick to see a profit, hard at a bargain, punctual in fulfilling his obligations, and equally exacting with others. He was a stern, masterful man, six feet tall and strongly built, with a powerful voice. Elijah had the initiative, energy, and executive ability which on a broader stage would have made him a captain of industry.
Connections
On June 7, 1790 Elijah Paine married Sarah Porter of Plymouth, New Hampshire. They had eight children, two of his sons were Charles and Martyn.