William Brattle | |
|---|---|
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| Massachusetts Attorney General | |
| In office 1736–1738 | |
| Monarch | George II |
| Preceded by | John Overing |
| Succeeded by | John Overing |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 18, 1706 Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 25, 1776 (aged 70) Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Saltonstall (m. 1727) Martha Fitch (m. 1752) |
| Children | 9, including Thomas and Katherine |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British America (1729–1776) |
| Branch/service | Massachusetts Militia (1729–1776) |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | 1st Regiment of Militia of Middlesex |
| Battles/wars | King George's War French and Indian War |
Major-General William Brattle (April 18, 1706 – October 25, 1776) was an American politician, lawyer, cleric, physician and military officer who served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1736 to 1738. Brattle is best known for his actions during the American Revolution, in which he initially aligned himself with the Patriot cause before transferring his allegiances towards the Loyalist camp, which led to the eventual downfall of his fortunes.
The son of a prominent Massachusetts cleric, Brattle graduated from Harvard College in 1722 and eventually inherited the estates of both his father and uncle, making him one of the richest men in the colony. Brattle dabbled in medicine and law before spending the majority of his career as both a politician and a military officer in the colonial militia, serving through two French and Indian Wars and rising to the rank of brigadier-general by 1760.
When tensions increased between Great Britain and its American colonies, Brattle initially supported the Patriot side before joining the Loyalist cause after a disagreement over judges' salaries. In 1774, Brattle wrote a letter to Governor Thomas Gage about the state of a gunpowder magazine outside Boston; rising tensions led Gage to order the gunpowder there to be relocated, infuriating local residents who forced Brattle to seek British protection.
Brattle remained in British-controlled Boston during the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, including when it was placed under siege by the Continental Army in 1776. He left alongside the British military when they evacuated the city in March 1776, settling in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Brattle died seven months later at the age of 70. Brattle Street in Cambridge and the town of Brattleboro, Vermont, are both named in his honor.