Robert Treat Paine - Taunton, MA - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

In downtown Taunton, on a traffic island in front of Taunton City Hall, is a statue of Robert Treat Paine, signer of the Declaration of Independence for Massachusetts in the Second Continental Congress.

The statue is at the junction of Summer Street and Main Street (U.S. Route 44). It isn't a rotary - the traffic island that the statue is on is to the south of Main Street.

The bronze statue is about 8 ft tall, and the granite base is about 13 ft tall. Paine is standing, with pen and paper in hand, looking like he is trying to compose something rather than signing the Declaration of Independence.

Robert Treat Paine was born on March 11, 1731 in Boston. There is a plaque that marks that location. He was educated at Boston Latin School, then at Harvard University, graduating at the age of 18. In 1761, he moved to Taunton to start his law practice. In 1790, he moved to Boston. He died there on May 11, 1814 and is buried at the Granary Burial Ground.

While in Taunton, in 1770, he married Sarah Cobb, a long established family in Taunton, and started a family. His political career is quite extensive. He was a representative in the Massachusetts General Court from 1773 to 1774. He was a representative in the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1778, where he signed the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams and John Hancock of Massachusetts. He was the Attorney General for Massachusetts from 1777 to 1790 and prosecuted in the trial following Shays' Rebellion. He also served on the Massachusetts Supreme Court before retiring.


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