Caleb Davis Transitions a Rebellious Colony into a State
Caleb Davis was an early radical in Boston who played an important part in transitioning from British Colony to independent State.
Caleb Davis
Though he was born in Connecticut, Caleb Davis came of age in Massachusetts.
It was here that he opened a merchant shop that steadily grew during the build up to Revolution.
By the time the War of Independence broke out, Davis was already a member of the Committee of Correspondence and was one of the men selected to enforce the boycott of British goods mandated by the First Continental Congress.
Radical
Immediately after hostilities broke out, Caleb informed Paul Revere that he (correctly) thought the behavior of Dr. Benjamin Church was suspect.
Once independence was declared, Davis was elected to the Massachusetts Assembly. He would spend the majority of the next decade in this position, even acting as Speaker for a time.
He was an extremely popular leader who helped pass the first State Constitution.
State Agent
In early 1781, Caleb Davis was chosen as State Agent for Massachusetts.
By this time, the Revolutionary War had moved south and Massachusetts thought it proper to discontinue its State Board of War.
As State Agent, Davis was responsible for transitioning operations of the Massachusetts forces from the revolutionary Board of War to the Governor under the new Constitution, a process which took two years of his life.
Businessman
After the war, Davis grew his mercantile business internationally, trading all across the western hemisphere.
He also invested in both public and private works, becoming known primarily for his sugar refining.
Caleb was an inaugural presidential elector and an early director of the First Bank of the United States’ Boston branch before passing away as one of his city’s leading citizens.
Here are some other Massachusetts Founder:
Artemas Ward - The First Commander-in-Chief
Seth Pomeroy Resolves the Massachusetts Seniority Crisis
Stephen Higginson Throws Shade At John Hancock
The main resource for this article was ‘Caleb Davis and His Funeral Dinner’ which can be read for FREE here.
If you’d like to read more about the drive toward Revolution in Boston, I recommend ‘Founding Martyr.’
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