 = Christopher Gore = 
 
 Christopher Gore ( September 21 , 1758 – March 1 , 1827 ) was a prominent Massachusetts lawyer , Federalist politician , and U.S. diplomat . Born into a family divided by the American Revolution , Gore sided with the victorious Patriots , established a successful law practice in Boston , and built a fortune by purchasing Revolutionary government debts at a discount and receiving full value for them from the government . 
 Gore entered politics in 1788 , serving briefly in the Massachusetts legislature before being appointed U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts . He was then appointed by President George Washington to a diplomatic commission dealing with maritime claims in Great Britain . He returned to Massachusetts in 1804 and reentered state politics , running unsuccessfully for governor several times before winning in 1809 . He served one term , losing to Democratic @-@ Republican Elbridge Gerry in 1810 . He was appointed to the US Senate by Governor Caleb Strong in 1813 , where he led opposition to the War of 1812 . 
 Gore invested his fortune in a variety of businesses , including important infrastructure projects such as the Middlesex Canal and a bridge across the Charles River . He was a major investor in the early textile industry , funding the Boston Manufacturing Company and the Merrimack Manufacturing Company , whose business established the city of Lowell , Massachusetts . Gore was involved in a variety of charitable causes , and was a major benefactor of Harvard College , where the first library was named in his honor . His palatial mansion in Waltham , Massachusetts , now known as Gore Place , is one of the finest extant examples of Federalist architecture , and has been declared a National Historic Landmark . 
 
 = = Early years = = 
 
 Christopher Gore was born in Boston on September 21 , 1758 , one of many children of Frances and John Gore , a successful merchant and artisan . He was the youngest of their three sons to survive to adulthood . He attended Boston Latin School , and entered Harvard College at the young ( even for the time ) age of thirteen . At the outset of the American Revolutionary War and the Siege of Boston in 1775 , Harvard 's buildings were occupied by the Continental Army , and Gore temporarily continued his studies in Bradford until Harvard could resume operations in Concord . While at Harvard Gore participated in a speaking club , and formed significant lifelong friendships with Rufus King and John Trumbull . 
 Gore graduated in 1776 , and promptly enlisted in the Continental artillery regiment of his brother @-@ in @-@ law Thomas Crafts , where he served as a clerk until 1778 . The Gore family was divided by the war : Gore 's father was a Loyalist who left Boston when the British Army evacuated the city in March 1776 . Gore was consequently called upon to support his mother and three sisters , who remained in Boston . In 1779 Gore successfully petitioned the state for the remaining family 's share of his father 's seized assets . 
 
 = = Early legal career = = 
 
 After his military service Gore studied law with John Lowell , and was admitted to the bar in 1778 after a comparatively brief tutelage . Gore 's law practice flourished , in part because many Loyalist lawyers had fled Massachusetts . Gore 's clients included Loyalists seeking to recover some of their assets , as well as London @-@ based British merchants with claims to pursue . His briefs were generally well @-@ reasoned , and he was seen as a successful trial lawyer . 
 Gore grew his fortune by investing carefully in revolutionary currency and bonds . The securities he purchased were paper that had been given to Continental Army soldiers in lieu of pay , which they often sold at a steep discount . One batch of securities he purchased , for instance , cost him about $ 3 @,@ 700 but had a face value of $ 25 @,@ 000 . In 1785 he married Rebecca Amory Payne , daughter of a wealthy merchant , maritime insurer , and director of the Bank of Massachusetts . The couple were known for their social graces and became prominent members of Boston society . 
 In 1786 Gore became concerned about a rise in anti @-@ lawyer sentiment in Massachusetts . Grievances over harsh policies pursued by Governor James Bowdoin blossomed into Shays ' Rebellion , which required militia action to crush in 1787 . Gore was one of several high @-@ profile lawyers assigned to defend participants in the rebellion ( included in this group were Theodore Sedgwick , Caleb Strong , James Sullivan , Levi Lincoln , Sr. , and Thomas Dawes ) . Although many rebels were ultimately convicted , a large number received amnesty . In 1788 , Gore was elected a delegate to the 1789 Massachusetts convention that ratified the United States Constitution . His election was contested because Boston , where he lived , was at the time more inclined toward state power . Gore nonetheless was strongly Federalist , urging support of the new Constitution . 
 
 = = Legislator , banker , and speculator = = 
 
 In 1788 Gore was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives . He took a leading role in adopting the state 's rules for actions required of it by the new federal constitution . By his proposal the legislature decided that presidential electors would be chosen by a joint session . He also proposed that the state House and Senate agree by separate votes on choices for the United States Senate , a process that would significantly reduce popular input to the choice . His choice was ultimately rejected in favor of a process whereby the House selected a slate of candidates , from which the Senate would choose one . In 1789 Gore decided to stand for reelection , but lost , owing to strong anti @-@ nationalist fervor in Boston at the time . He managed to win a seat later , when a special election was held after resignations opened several seats . 
 Gore 's financial speculations in the late 1780s significantly multiplied his wealth . In 1788 he and Andrew Craigie , a Boston businessman who had retained Gore for legal services , entered into a secret agreement to purchase Continental securities with a face value of $ 100 @,@ 000 in a speculative bid that their value would rise . By late October of that year , the pair had met this goal : Gore had purchased $ 90 @,@ 000 worth of paper for about $ 20 @,@ 000 , and encouraged Craigie to purchase more than the $ 11 @,@ 000 he had acquired if his funding would allow for it . Gore also purchased Massachusetts war @-@ related debts , and lobbied Massachusetts Congressmen for the U.S. government to assume those as well . 
 Gore 's windfall was realized when in 1790 the United States Congress , acting on a proposal made by Alexander Hamilton and supported by Gore 's friend Rufus King , passed legislation that exchanged Continental and state paper for new U.S. paper at face value . Not only did Gore win on this exchange , but the paper he received appreciated in value before he sold it . The exact amount he made is unclear from the surviving documents : John Quincy Adams wrote that Gore 's speculations made him the wealthiest lawyer in the country . 
 The success of Gore 's speculations prompted him to enter a partnership with Craigie , William Duer and Daniel Parker in an attempt to acquire U.S. foreign debt obligations on favorable terms . Parker was a business partner of Craigie 's , and Duer was an influential New York businessman and Treasury Department official whose lavish lifestyle impressed Gore . The partnership promoted sales of U.S. lands in Europe , and sought to acquire U.S. obligations to France . Although Gore sank $ 10 @,@ 000 into this venture , it failed : more powerful and experienced Dutch bankers outmaneuvered the Americans . Gore also engaged in other ventures with these partners , but apparently carefully stayed with financial speculations , and avoided the partners ' less successful land ventures . 
 Much of Gore 's financial activity was mediated through the Bank of Massachusetts , where his father @-@ in @-@ law was a director . Gore himself was elected to its board in 1785 , when he also became a shareholder . During his time on the board the bank tightened its regulations on loan repayments , a move that improved the stability of its capital . Gore used the bank for most of his personal deposits , but also drew on lines of credit for as much as several thousand dollars . The bank shares he held paid relatively high dividends until 1791 , when the bank received serious competition from the First Bank of the United States . 
 The Bank of the United States was established by Alexander Hamilton to provide stable banking services on a national scale , and sought to open a branch in Boston . Hamilton recruited heavily in the Bank of Massachusetts , and Gore decided to make the move . He sold his shares in the Massachusetts bank , and became a director of the Boston branch of the U.S. Bank . He also purchased 200 shares in the new bank , a relatively large investment . Gore was influential in making hiring decisions for the branch , and sought to merge state @-@ chartered banks into the organization , arguing that only a nationally chartered bank could provide consistent and stable service . Gore resigned from the board in 1794 , citing the demands of his law practice . 
 Gore 's financial successes enabled him to join the elite society of Boston . In 1789 he purchased a large mansion on fashionable Bowdoin Square , and also bought a country estate in Waltham that grew over time to 300 acres ( 120 ha ) . He had a house built on the estate , most of which he operated as a gentleman farmer . He and other similarly @-@ situated Federalists formed the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture , of which he served as a trustee for several years ; the organization was not seen as significantly contributing to advances in agriculture . 
 
 = = District attorney and diplomat = = 
 
 In 1789 President George Washington appointed Gore the first United States Attorney for Massachusetts as a reward for his support . Gore controversially refused to resign from the state legislature , arguing that the state constitution 's prohibitions against holding multiple offices did not apply to federal posts . He eventually resigned the legislative seat under protest because of pressure from his fellow legislators . 
 Gore served as district attorney until 1796 . His principal matter of concern was the enforcement of U.S. neutrality with respect to the French Revolutionary Wars . He attempted several times to prosecute the French consul in Boston , Antoine Duplaine , for arming and operating privateers out of the Port of Boston , but he was stymied by local juries that sympathized with the French . Duplaine was eventually expelled on orders from President George Washington based on evidence provided by Gore . 
 Gore also promoted anti @-@ French sentiment with political writings in Massachusetts newspapers . Writing under the pseudonym " Manlius " , he denounced the formation of " Democratic Societies " formed to oppose Federalist policy and support pro @-@ French positions . He suggested to President Washington that someone be sent to England to negotiate with the British . John Jay traveled to London in 1794 and negotiated the Jay Treaty , whose ratification Gore vocally supported . Although Gore was hostile to French policy , he was on friendly terms with individual Frenchmen : he hosted the future French statesman Talleyrand when he visited the U.S. 
 In 1796 Washington appointed him as a commissioner representing the United States to handle maritime claims under the terms the Jay Treaty . As a result the Gores moved to England that year , establishing a residence in the fashionable Hyde Park area . The commission was established to arbitrate claims emanating from British seizures of American vessels and cargoes , and from British claims relating to violations of American neutrality in the ongoing French Revolutionary Wars . It consisted of three Americans ( Gore , William Pinkney , and John Trumbull ) and two British commissioners ( John Nicoll and Nicholas Astley ) ; Trumbull was chosen by the other four because he was deemed to sufficiently " fair @-@ minded " to cast deciding votes in the event of disagreements . That year he was also elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . 
 Although Gore was well received by the British establishment , the work suffered from what Gore called a " tediousness of process " , and he considered requesting a transfer in 1798 . In 1800 it ground to a halt because another board established by the treaty to resolve outstanding Revolutionary War claims against the United States had not yet met , and the British stopped the claims processing until resolution of the other issues got underway . Gore used this break to briefly return to America and assess the condition of his Waltham estate , where the house had been largely destroyed by fire in 1799 . After his return to London , with the commission work still stopped , he and Rebecca embarked on a tour of Europe . They visited Holland , Belgium , and Switzerland , and spent six months in Paris . During this trip , and later ones in England and Scotland , they took note of the architecture of country estates , and began planning a new house for their Waltham property . 
 The commission resumed its work in early 1802 , and had resolved all outstanding claims by August 1803 . It awarded $ 110 @,@ 000 to British claimants and over $ 6 million to American claimants . The lopsided result is due to the vastly larger number of American claims , but also to some key early decisions that favored American interpretations in the processing of the claims , and by a British administration that sought to remain in America 's good graces . 
 The Gore 's social circle in England revolved around his good friend Rufus King , who was appointed Ambassador to Great Britain in 1796 , along with other Massachusetts expatriates . When King left his post in May 1803 he named Gore to head the London embassy as chargé d 'affaires . Although President Thomas Jefferson never issued a formal appointment , the British government accepted his role for the two @-@ month interval between King 's departure and the arrival of James Monroe as King 's replacement . The Gores sailed for Boston in the spring of 1804 . 
 Rebecca Gore used their exposure to European country estates to design a lavish new building for their Waltham estate during their English sojourn . Designed with the assistance of French architect Joseph @-@ Guillaume Legrand and probably also influenced by the works of English architect Sir John Soane , the house that was built upon their return to the United States in 1804 ( now known as Gore Place ) is one of the finest extant examples of Federalist architecture . 
 
 = = Lawyer and state legislator = = 
 
 Soon after his return to the United States , Gore reentered state politics , winning election to the Massachusetts Senate . He was active in the state Federalist Party organization , sitting on its secret central committee . He resumed his law practice , in which he took on as a student Daniel Webster . One of the highest profile cases he took on was the 1807 defense of Thomas Selfridge , accused of murdering Charles Austin . Selfridge , an older Federalist attorney , had been retained to assist in the collection of a debt from Austin 's Republican father . In the politically charged atmosphere of the day in Boston , Selfridge , fearing for his own safety , had armed himself with a dueling pistol . The younger Austin had , apparently on his own initiative , sought to beat Selfridge with a cane , and Selfridge fatally shot him in the encounter . Selfridge was prosecuted by Attorney General ( and future Gore gubernatorial opponent ) James Sullivan , and the defense also included arch @-@ Federalist Harrison Gray Otis . Gore argued Selfridge acted in self @-@ defense ; Selfridge was acquitted of murder by a jury whose foreman was Patriot and Federalist Paul Revere after fifteen minutes ' deliberation . 
 Gore also resumed business activities upon his return . He invested in a wide variety of businesses and infrastructure , spurring economic activity in the state . His investments ranged widely , including maritime insurance ( where is father @-@ in @-@ law had made his fortune ) , bridges , locks , canals , and textiles . He was a major investor in the Middlesex Canal , the Craigie Bridge ( the first to connect Boston to Cambridge ) , and the Boston Manufacturing Company , whose factory proving the single @-@ site production of textiles was in Waltham near his estate . Not all of his ventures panned out : the canal was in the long run a financial failure , as were efforts with other collaborators to develop Lechmere Point , the Cambridge side of the Craigie Bridge . The textile mill , however , was a success , and Gore invested in the Merrimack Manufacturing Company . When it decided to locate in what is now Lowell , Massachusetts , Gore purchased shares in the Proprietors of Locks and Canals , which operated ( and still owns today ) the Lowell canals . 
 In 1806 Gore won election to the State Senate . That year the Republicans were in the majority , and the election for governor was close enough to require a recount . The legislature scrutinized the ballots in a partisan manner ( for example , retaining ballots containing misspelled versions of Republican James Sullivan 's name and discarding similar ballots marked for Federalist Caleb Strong ) . Gore and other Federalists raised a public outcry , and the legislature relented , eventually certifying Strong as the winner . 
 Gore ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Massachusetts in 1807 and 1808 against a rising tide of Republicanism in the state , losing both times to moderate Republican James Sullivan . The Federalists gained control of the state legislature in 1808 in a backlash against Republican economic policies , but Gore was criticized for his failure to aggressively support state protests against the Embargo Act of 1807 , which had a major negative effect on the state 's large merchant fleet . Gore was in 1808 elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives , where he successfully led Federalist efforts to ensure the selection of a Federalist slate of presidential electors . He also spearheaded actions to drive Senator John Quincy Adams from the Federalist Party over his support of Thomas Jefferson 's foreign policy . The legislature elected Adams ' successor nine months early , and gave Adams sufficiently distasteful instructions that he resigned the post and joined with the Republicans . 
 
 = = Governor = = 
 
 Gore led the Federalists to victory in 1809 against Sullivan 's successor , Levi Lincoln , Sr. , who had taken over as acting governor upon Sullivan 's death late in 1808 . During Gore 's term the principal domestic issue occupying state politics was a banking crisis stimulated by the federal policy of embargoing trade with Great Britain and France , then embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars . Although the crisis caused a number of bank failures in New England , Massachusetts banks largely escaped unscathed . 
 Foreign policy played a major role in Gore 's administration . The legislature passed resolves opposing the federal government 's hardline policy against trade and diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom ( then embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars ) , and Gore in early 1810 invited Francis James Jackson , who had been rejected as the UK 's ambassador to the US , to visit the state . This pressure may have played a role in President James Madison 's decision to renew relations with the UK and accept Jackson 's credentials . 
 The lessening of the war threat , and the choice by the Republicans of the popular Elbridge Gerry as their candidate brought a challenge to Federalist control of Massachusetts in the 1810 elections . The unostentatious Gerry and Republican partisans criticized Gore for his lavish lifestyle , including his palatial Waltham residence and pompous activities he organized as governor , and highlighted his Loyalist family connections while emphasizing Gerry 's unimpeachable patriotism . Gerry won the election . Jackson did visit Boston , but he was greeted not by Gore , but Gerry . Gore ran against Gerry again in 1811 , but lost in another acrimonious campaign . 
 Gore was granted an honorary law degree from Harvard in 1809 . He served on the college 's Board of Overseers from 1810 to 1815 and as a Fellow from 1816 to 1820 . Harvard 's first library building , a Gothic structure built in 1838 of Quincy granite , was named in his honor , but was demolished when Widener Library was built in its place in 1915 . ( This structure is found on the seal of the city of Cambridge . ) One of the residential Winthrop House 's buildings is called Gore Hall in his honor . 
 
 = = United States Senator = = 
 
 In the spring of 1813 , he was appointed by Governor Caleb Strong to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Senator James Lloyd . He served from May 5 , 1813 to May 30 , 1816 , winning reelection to the seat in 1814 . He opposed the ongoing War of 1812 in these years , with his earlier diplomatic experience providing valuable knowledge to Federalist interests . He expressed approval of the 1814 Hartford Convention in which the New England states aired grievances concerning Republican governance of the country and the conduct of the war . 
 Gore assented to the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war , but was unhappy that the nation had not gained anything from the war . He resigned in June 1816 , unhappy with the politics of Washington and suffering from poor health . Although he was no longer active in politics , he continued to express opinions on the subjects of the day , opposing the 1820 Missouri Compromise and bemoaning the " great moderation & mediocrity " of Federalist Governor John Brooks . 
 
 = = Later years and legacy = = 
 
 Gore remained active in the administration of Harvard , and was active in a number of organizations , including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Massachusetts Historical Society ( whose president he was from 1806 to 1818 ) . He was also elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814 . Gore spent most of his later years at his country estate in Waltham , suffering from worsening rheumatoid arthritis that made walking increasingly difficult . His declining health and lack of social scene in Waltham led him in 1822 to return to Boston in the winters . He died on March 1 , 1827 in Boston and is buried in its Granary Burying Ground . 
 Gore 's wife died in 1834 ; the couple had no children . The major beneficiary of the Gore estate was Harvard ( which received an estimated $ 100 @,@ 000 ) , although bequests were also made to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Massachusetts Historical Society . The Waltham estate passed through several hands and was subdivided over time . The mansion was saved from demolition by the Gore Place Society ( established for the purpose of preserving it ) , which now operates it as a museum . It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970 . 
 
 