John Bacon

Background

John Bacon was born in Canterbury, Connecticut on April 9, 1738.

Education

He graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton) in 1765.

Career

On September 25, 1771, he was installed as pastor of the Old South Church, Boston. Trouble soon arose in his parish. His training as a Presbyterian may have made it difficult to enter into the traditions of the Congregationalists of Massachusetts, while his severe manner, tenacious opinions, and fondness for argument created opposition. Furthermore, he offended patriot sentiment by publicly reading Gov. Hutchinson's proclamation calling upon the people to observe a day of thanksgiving particularly for the preservation of their civil and religious liberty. Hence his parishioners were all the more ready to criticize his theological views, and on February 8, 1775, he was dismissed from the pastorate.

In 1781, at Bacon's request, the parish gave him a testimonial of its confidence and respect and stated that its only differences with him related to the doctrine of the Atonement and the practise of the Half-way Covenant. Upon leaving the Old South he removed to Stockbridge, where he became a farmer and resided until his death. The constitution submitted to the voters of Massachusetts in 1778 excluded "Negroes, Indians, and Molattoes" from the suffrage. Bacon opposed this on the ground that such persons would then be taxed without representation and "would be justified in making the same opposition against us which we are making against Great Britain. " The provision was retained but the constitution was rejected by the people and that adopted in 1780 contained no race discrimination.

Although not a lawyer, Bacon served as associate judge of the court of common pleas of Berkshire County from 1779 to 1807 and as presiding judge from 1807 to 1811. He was twice a member of the General Court and served twelve terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and ten in the Massachusetts Senate. In national politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat and as such served in the national House of Representatives from 1801 to 1803 and was a presidential elector in 1804.

Achievements

• He was remembered as Congregational clergyman and legislator.

Politics

In national politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat.

Membership

He was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Connections

In 1771, he married Elizabeth Goldthwaite, the widow of his predecessor, Rev. Alexander Cumming.

Father:

John bacon

Mother:

Ruth (Spaulding) Bacon

Wife:

Elizabeth Goldthwaite