Benjamin Bourne (September 9, 1755September 17, 1808) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

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 ...

, a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the ...

and a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the First Circuit.

Education and career

Born on September 9, 1755, in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

in the

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious d ...

. Bourne was the son of Shearjashub Bourn, a lawyer who eventually served on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.Calbraith Bourn Perry, ''Charles D'Wolf of Guadaloupe, His Ancestors and Descendants'' (1902), p. 285-86. Like his father, Bourne graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1775, received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree from the same institution in 1778, and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

. He was quartermaster of the Second Rhode Island Regiment in 1776. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Providence,

. He was a deputy in the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

in 1780 and from 1787 to 1790. He was clerk of the Rhode Island General Assembly from 1780 to 1786. He was a Justice of the Peace in Providence from 1785 to 1790.

Congressional service

Upon the ratification of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

by the State of Rhode Island, Bourne was elected as a

Pro-Administration The Federalist Party was a conservativeMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. It dominated the national government under Alexander Hamilton from 17 ...

candidate from Rhode Island's at-large congressional district to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

of the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

through the

3rd 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. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pen ...

es and as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

and

5th United States Congress The 5th 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. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penns ...

es and served from August 31, 1790, until his resignation on October 13, 1796, before the close of the 4th United States Congress.

Federal judicial service

Bourne received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of the United States, president of a Officer of the United States, federal official when the United States Senate, U.S. Senate is in Recess (motion), recess. Under the ...

from President

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 ...

on October 13, 1796, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Henry Marchant Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796) was a Founding Father of the United States, an attorney general of Rhode Island, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Rhode Island, a signer of the Articles of Confederation, and th ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Washington on December 21, 1796. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on December 22, 1796, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on February 20, 1801, due to his elevation to the First Circuit. Bourne was nominated by President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

on February 18, 1801, to the United States Circuit Court for the First Circuit, to a new seat authorized by . He was confirmed by the Senate on February 20, 1801, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on July 1, 1802, due to abolition of the court.

Later service and death

Following his departure from the federal bench, Bourne resumed private practice in Providence and Bristol from 1801 to 1808. He died on September 17, 1808, in Bristol. He was interred in Juniper Hill Cemetery in Bristol.

Family

Bourne was a first cousin once removed of Massachusetts

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

Shearjashub Bourne Shearjashub Bourne (June 14, 1746 – March 11, 1806) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Massachusetts who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and United States House of Representatives. Bourne was born in Ba ...

.New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the ..., Volume 2 William Richard Cutter p.683
/ref>

References

External links

Rhode Island Historical Society * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourne, Benjamin 1755 births 1808 deaths Burials at Juniper Hill Cemetery Continental Army officers from Rhode Island Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Harvard College alumni Judges of the United States circuit courts Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Bristol, Rhode Island People from colonial Rhode Island United States federal judges appointed by George Washington United States federal judges appointed by John Adams United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives