Ebenezer Thayer, Jr. (August 21, 1746 – May 30, 1809) was a Massachusetts farmer, military officer, town official, and politician who served in both branches of the Massachusetts legislature, as a member of 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 ...

; and, from 1793 to 1794, as the first sheriff of

Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was around 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. The county was named after the English county of the same name. Two towns, Cohasset and B ...

. The Braintree Instructions, drafted by

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 ...

, were addressed to Thayer's father, Ebenezer Thayer, Esq., from his constituents in Braintree.

Military service

During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Thayer was active in recruiting men in his home town and in leading them in the war.

Family

His half-brother was Atherton Thayer. Over a number of generations the Thayer family became known as a

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional Britis ...

family and descended from early settlers and brothers Thomas Thayer (1596–1665) and Richard Thayer (1601–1664).

References

Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council 1746 births 1809 deaths Politicians from Braintree, Massachusetts Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts state senators High sheriffs of Norfolk County {{US-law-enforcement-bio-stub