Chapter Fifteen

by: Stanley L. Klos Published by ROI.us Corporation

Nathaniel Gorham
8th President of the United States
in Congress Assembled
June 1786 - November 13, 1786

For several years after his presidency, Gorham was judge of Middlesex County's court of common pleas. Most notably he was elected to represent Massachusetts in the Philadelphia Convention that framed the National Constitution. When the convention was sitting as committee of the whole, he was called by George Washington to preside, and filled the chair for three of the four months. As chairman, he spoke often, wielded much influence and served on the Committee of Detail. Major William Pierce the constitutional delegate from Georgia noted of Gorham in 1787 :

Mr. Gorham is a Merchant in Boston, high in reputation, and much in the esteem of his Country-men. He is a Man of very good sense, but not much improved in his edu­cation. He is eloquent and easy in public debate, but has nothing fashionable or ele­gant in his style; all he aims at is to convince, and where he fails it never is from his auditory not understanding him, for no Man is more perspicuous and full. He has been President of Congress, and three years a Member of that Body. Mr. Gorham is about 46 years of age, rather lusty, and has an agreeable and pleasing manner.

In the final hours of the Constitution’s preparation for vote, Nathaniel Gorham suggested the ratio of representation in the Lower House of Congress could amend from one for every forty-thousand inhabitants to one for every thirty-thousand. Gorham's proposal was unanimously passed:

It was moved to reconsider the clause declaring that "the number of representatives shall not exceed one for every forty thousand," in order to strike out "forty thousand," and insert "thirty thousand;" which passed in the affirmative.

On the question to agree to the Constitution, enrolled in order to be signed,--all the states answered, "Ay."

On the question to agree to the above form of signing, it passed in the affirmative. Yeas: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, 10. Divided: South Carolina, 1.

Nathaniel Gorham afterward exerted a powerful influence in securing the ratification of the new Federal Constitution in the Massachusetts State Convention. Ratification was won only when Gorham and other Federalists proposed possible amendments to the Constitution to attract the moderates who held the deciding votes. Unfortunately, former President Gorham did not serve in the new government he helped to create deciding, instead, to engage in entrepreneurial pur­suits.

In connection with Oliver Phelps, Gorham purchased from the State of Massachusetts, in 1786, an immense tract of land on the Genesee River, for the sum of $1,000,000 secured by a large mortgage. This had been previously ceded to Massachusetts from the State of New York. They soon "extinguished" the Native American title to a part of this territory, surveyed it into tracts, laid out townships, and sold large parts to speculators and settlers.

In 1788 and 1789 Massachusetts scrip rose dramatically in value, enormously swelling the mort­gaged portion of the vast tract. In 1790, being unable to fulfill their contract in full to Massachusetts, Phelps and Gorham compromised and surrendered that portion of the land, which remained under the Native American title. Gorham never recovered from the insolvency and like Robert Morris in Philadelphia, he fell from a pinnacle of society and lost his political esteem. At the age of 58 on the 11th of June, 1796 he died a financially broken man and was buried at the Phipps Street Cemetery in Charlestown, MA.

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