Benjamin Kent | |
|---|---|
 Benjamin Kent, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia | |
| Born | 13 June 1708 |
| Died | 22 October 1788 |
| Resting place | Old Burying Ground |
| Education | Harvard College |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Abolitionist, Attorney General |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Watts |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature | |
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Benjamin Kent (1708–1788) was a Massachusetts Attorney General (1776–1777) and then acting Attorney General during much of Robert Treat Paine's tenure (1777–1785).[1][2] He was appointed seven successive terms.[3] Prior to the American Revolution, Kent was notable for his representation of slaves suing their masters for their freedom,[4] which contributed to the demise of slavery in Massachusetts. He was a member of the North End Caucus and prominent member of the Sons of Liberty, which formed to protest the passage of the Stamp Act of 1765.[5] The efforts of the Sons of Liberty created the foundation for the Boston Tea Party. Kent called for independence early in the American Revolution.
- ^ Acts and resolves passed by the General Court by Massachusetts, p. 161
- ^ Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Massachusetts Historical Society. 1895. p. 290.
- ^ "June Meeting, 1895. Alleged Facts as to the Pilgrims; Benjamin Tompson; Attorneys-General of Massachusetts; Solicitors-General of Massachusetts". Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. January 1895.
- ^ Blanck, Emily (2014). Tyrannicide: Forging an American Law of Slavery in Revolutionary South Carolina and Massachusetts. University of Georgia Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780820338644. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ^ "The North End Caucus Mobilizes Against the Tea". Boston 1775. Retrieved 14 May 2019.