| Moses Gill | |
|---|---|
| Portrait by John Singleton Copley | |
| 4th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office 1794 – May 20, 1800 Acting Governor June 7, 1799-May 20, 1800 |
|
| Governor | Increase Sumner |
| Preceded by | Samuel Adams |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Phillips, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 18, 1734 Charlestown, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | May 20, 1800 (aged 66) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Prince Gill (1759-71) Rebecca Boylston Gill (1773-89) |
| Signature | |
Moses Gill (January 18, 1734 – May 20, 1800) was a Massachusetts politician who briefly served as Acting Governor of the state.
He was a merchant living in Boston, until 1767, when he removed to Princeton, Massachusetts. In 1759 he married Sarah Prince, daughter to pastor Thomas Prince of Boston's Old South Church. She died in 1771, and he remarried in 1773 to Rebecca Boylston, a scion of the influential Boylston family. She was a sister of Nicholas Boylston, a benefactor of Harvard University.
In 1774 he was elected to the provincial assembly. The assembly was dissolved by Governor Thomas Gage under the terms of the Massachusetts Government Act (a punishment to Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party), but it shortly afterwards reconstituted itself as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. When the American Revolutionary War broke in in April 1775, Gill became involved in the military organization that sprang up to manage the early days of the Siege of Boston.
He continued to serve in the state legislature, winning election to the senate in 1789. In 1794 he was elected the fourth Lieutenant Governor, serving under Increase Sumner. When Governor Sumner died on June 7, 1799, he became Acting Governor.
When Gill himself died in office on just one year later, no one was in place to serve after his death. For eight days, the Governor's Council ruled the state until the inauguration of Caleb Strong.