Joshua Babcock

Joshua Babcock
2nd and 10th Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
In office
January 1749  May 1751
Preceded by Gideon Cornell
Succeeded by Stephen Hopkins
In office
August 1763  October 1763
Preceded by Joseph Russell
Succeeded by John Banister
Personal details
Born 1707
Westerly, Rhode Island
Died 1783
Spouse(s) (1) Hannah Stanton
(2) Anna Maxson
Children Henry, Luke, Adam, Hannah, Frances, Paul, Amelia, Sally, Harriet
Parents James Babcock and Elizabeth Saunders
Alma mater Yale College, 1724
Occupation Physician, postmaster, chief justice

Joshua Babcock (1707–1783) was a physician, American Revolution general, Rhode Island Supreme Court justice, and postmaster from Westerly, Rhode Island.

Biography

Babcock was born in Westerly in 1707 to James Babcock and Elizabeth Saunders, who were amongst Westerly's earliest settlers. Babcock became a Seventh Day Baptist as a young man.[1] In 1724 he graduated from Yale College as Yale's first Rhode Island graduate. He then studied medicine in Boston and London and returned to Westerly to practice medicine in 1734. Around this time he married and purchased the Babcock-Smith House. Babcock later served as a justice on the Rhode Island Supreme Court, serving as an associate justice from 1747 to 1748 and chief justice from 1749 to 1751 and 1763 to 1764.

Babcock joined John Brown, Nicholas Brown, William Ellery, Stephen Hopkins, the Reverend James Manning, the Reverend Ezra Stiles and several others as an original fellow or trustee for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the original name for Brown University).

Babcock became Westerly's first Postmaster in the 1770s, operating a post office from his home. During the American Revolution Babcock served as the major general in command of the state militia, beginning in October 1775, and hosted General George Washington while serving in that capacity in 1776. He was relived as militia commander in December 1776 by Major General Joseph Nightingale. Babcock also served on the War Council, procured equipment for the town's troops, and served as a paymaster.

As a legislator he signed Rhode Island's state declaration of independence on May 4, 1776 before the national Declaration of Independence on July 4. Joshua Babcock was also a friend of Benjamin Franklin and often hosted Franklin when he passed through Rhode Island to Boston on postmaster duties.

Babcock died in 1783.[2]

Family

Joshua Babcock married Hannah Stanton in 1735 and they had several children: Henry Babcock, Luke Babcock, Adam Babcock, Hannah Babcock, Frances Babcock, Paul Babcock, Amelia Babcock, Sally Babcock, and Harriet Babcock. Babcock married Anna Maxson Babcock after Hannah's death in 1778. Anna died in 1812[3]

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved 2010-10-08. accessed Oct. 2009
  2. Rhode Island educational circulars (Rhode Island, Office of Commissioner of Education, 1908), pg.77
  3. Babcock Smith website, accessed October 2009
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