12 Facts About Francis Dana

Francis Dana was an American Founding Father, lawyer, jurist, and statesman from Massachusetts.

Francis Dana later served as a member of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and served as the chief justice for 15 years.

Francis Dana was the father-in-law of Washington Allston, a noted painter and poet.

Francis Dana was educated at Harvard where he graduated in 1762, then read law and was admitted to the bar, after which he built a successful legal practice in Boston.

Francis Dana returned the following year, convinced that a friendly settlement of the dispute was impossible, and was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777, where he signed the Articles of Confederation in 1778.

Francis Dana left the Congress to accompany John Adams to Paris as a secretary to the diplomatic delegation.

In 1785, Francis Dana was appointed to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and served there until 1806 as the chief justice after 1791.

In 1792, Francis Dana became a stockholder in a company that was formed to build a bridge to Cambridgeport over the Charles River.

Francis Dana was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780 and actively supported the growth of Harvard University.

Francis Dana died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 25,1811, and is buried in Cambridge's Old Burying Ground.

The former town of Francis Dana, Massachusetts, was named for him.

The Belchertown subdivision Francis Dana Hill is, in turn, named for the former town.