“ In politics he took an active part as one of the Federalist leaders in the state. He was a member of the Essex County convention of 1778, called to protest against the proposed state constitution, and as a member of the “Essex Junto” was probably the author of The Essex Result, which helped to secure the rejection of the constitution at the polls. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1770-1780, and one of the committee of twenty-six which drafted the constitution; he was also a delegate to the state convention of 1788 which ratified the Federal Constitution ”