“The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy. The people do not want virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots.”
— Constitutional Convention Monday May 31 [FN1], 1787
“A standing army is like a standing member. It's an excellent assurance of domestic tranquility, but a dangerous temptation to foreign adventure.”
— Constitutional Convention (1787)

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Elbridge Gerry (December 6, 1813 – April 10, 1886) was an American lawyer, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maine from 1849 to 1851.

Overview

Elbridge Gerry (December 6, 1813 – April 10, 1886) was an American lawyer, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Maine from 1849 to 1851. Biography Gerry was born on December 6, 1813 in Waterford, Massachusetts (now in Maine); he was the son of Peter and Mary "Polly" (Cutler) Gerry. He attended Bridgton Academy, and studied law with Judge Stephen Emery (who also served as Maine's Attorney General). Gerry was admitted to the bar in 1839 and established a practice in Waterford. Gerry's father served in the Maine House of Representatives and in local offices including selectman and town meeting moderator. Gerry also served in local offices in Waterford, including town clerk (1842-1843), and town meeting moderator (1847, 1852). He was clerk of the Maine House of Representatives in 1840, and was appointed a United States commissioner in bankruptcy in 1841. From 1842 to 1845 he was prosecuting attorney for Oxford County. In 1846 he served in the Maine House of Representatives, including holding the post of Speaker Pro tempore during the absence of Speaker Ebenezer Knowlton.

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