David Cobb (September 14, 1748 – April 17, 1830) was a Massachusetts physician, military officer, jurist, and politician who served as a U.S. Congressman for Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat.

Biography

Born in

Attleborough Attleborough is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish located on the A11 road (England), A11 between Norwich and Thetford in Norfolk, England. The parish is in the district of Breckland (district), Breckland and has an area ...

in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

on September 14, 1748, Cobb graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1766. He studied medicine in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and afterward practiced in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

. He was a member of the

Massachusetts Provincial Congress The Massachusetts Provincial Congress (1774–1780) was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution. Based on the terms of the colonial charter, it exercised ''de facto'' control over th ...

in 1775; lieutenant colonel of Jackson's regiment in 1777 and 1778, serving in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

; was aide-de-camp on the staff of General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

; appointed major general of militia in 1786 and rendered conspicuous service during

Shays' Rebellion Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both in ...

. He was a charter member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1780. Cobb was also admitted as an original member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

in the state of Massachusetts at the conclusion of the war.

Massachusetts government

He served as a judge of the Bristol County Court of Common Pleas 1784–1796, and as a member of the State House of Representatives 1789–1793, and the Massachusetts Senate, and served as

Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker (politics), Speaker of the House presides over the Massachusetts House of Representatives, House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority par ...

and President of the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

Congress

Cobb was a candidate to represent the 7th congressional district in 1788, and the 6th congressional district in 1790. Cobb was elected to the

Third United States Congress The 3rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives The United States House of Represent ...

(March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795). He is the only person elected to the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

via Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat.

Maine

Cobb moved to Gouldsboro in the

District of Maine The District of Maine was the governmental designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from October 25, 1780, to March 15, 1820, when it was Admission to the Union, admitted to the Union as the List of U.S. states by date of admission to ...

in 1796 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; elected to the

from the eastern

in 1802 and served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

; elected to the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

in 1808; Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1809; member of the board of military defense in 1812; chief justice of the Hancock County (Maine) court of common pleas; returned in 1817 to Taunton, where he died on April 17, 1830. His remains were interred in Plain Cemetery. Cobb was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1814.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref>

Legacy

In 1976, David Cobb was honored by being on a

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

Notes

References

Porter, Joseph Whitcomb: ''Memoir of Gen. David Cobb and family of Gouldsborough, Maine, and Taunton, Mass''
(1888).

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, David 1748 births 1830 deaths Harvard College alumni American militia generals Continental Army officers from Massachusetts Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Massachusetts state senators Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Politicians from Taunton, Massachusetts Massachusetts Federalists 18th-century American physicians People from colonial Massachusetts People from Attleboro, Massachusetts Politicians from Bristol County, Massachusetts Aides-de-camp of George Washington 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1788–1789 United States elections Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections