Stephen Higginson
Encyclopedia
Stephen Higginson was an American
merchant and shipmaster from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts
to the Continental Congress
in 1783. He took an active part in suppressing Shays' Rebellion
, was the author of the Laco letters (1789), and served the United States government as navy agent from May 11 to June 22, 1798. Although he was a privateer during the American Revolutionary War
he became a "blue light
", extreme-Federalist during the War of 1812
and was one of the members of the Essex Junto
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant and shipmaster from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1783. He took an active part in suppressing Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War....
, was the author of the Laco letters (1789), and served the United States government as navy agent from May 11 to June 22, 1798. Although he was a privateer during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
he became a "blue light
Blue light federalists
Blue-light Federalist was a derogatory term used by those who believed certain Federalists to have made friendly signals to British ships in the War of 1812 to warn the British of American blockade runners, the specific event supposedly happening in 1813, in New London, Connecticut, when Commodore...
", extreme-Federalist during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and was one of the members of the Essex Junto
Essex Junto
The Essex Junto was a group of lawyers and merchants from Essex County, Massachusetts. These Federalists supported Alexander Hamilton and the Massachusetts radicals. When Hamilton was offered a place in the plot to secede New England from the Union, he denied the offer. Consequently, the Essex...
.
External links
- Higginson’s Congressional biography
- Life and Times of Stephen Higginson: Member of the Continental Congress , by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, published 1907..