Editing Caleb Strong (section)

{{Short description|American Founding Father and politician (1745–1819)}}
{{redirect|Senator Strong}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Caleb Strong
|image = Portrait of Caleb Strong (1745-1819) (frame cropped).jpg
|caption=Portrait attributed to [[Gilbert Stuart]]
|imagesize =
|jr/sr1=United States Senator
|state1=[[Massachusetts]]
|term_start1= March 4, 1789
|term_end1= June 1, 1796
|predecessor1= None
|successor1= [[Theodore Sedgwick]]
|order2 = 6th and 10th
|office2 = Governor of Massachusetts
|term_start2 = June 5, 1812
|term_end2 = May 30, 1816
|lieutenant2 = [[William Phillips Jr.]]
|predecessor2 = [[Elbridge Gerry]]
|successor2 = [[John Brooks (governor)|John Brooks]]
|term_start3 = May 30, 1800
|term_end3 = May 29, 1807
|1blankname3 = [[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts|Lieutenant]]
|1namedata3 = {{plainlist|
*[[Samuel Phillips Jr.]]
*[[Edward Robbins]]
}}
|predecessor3 = [[Massachusetts Governor's Council|Governor's Council]] (acting)
|successor3 = [[James Sullivan (governor)|James Sullivan]]
|office4= Member of the [[Massachusetts Senate]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|1745|1|9}}
|birth_place = [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]], [[British America]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1819|11|7|1745|1|9}}
|death_place = [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|party = Pro-Administration<br>[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|spouse =
|alma_mater = [[Harvard College]]
|profession = Lawyer, politician
|signature = Caleb Strong Signature.svg
}}

'''Caleb Strong Jr.''' (January 9, 1745 – November 7, 1819) was an American lawyer, politician, and [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] who served as the sixth and tenth [[governor of Massachusetts]] between 1800 and 1807, and again from 1812 until 1816. He assisted in drafting the [[Constitution of Massachusetts|Massachusetts State Constitution]] in 1779 and served as a state senator and on the [[Massachusetts Governor's Council]] before being elected to the inaugural [[United States Senate]]. A leading member of the Massachusetts [[Federalist Party]], his political success delayed the decline of the Federalists in Massachusetts.

A successful [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]] lawyer prior to 1774, Strong was politically active in the rebel cause during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He played an influential role in the development of the [[Constitution of the United States|United States Constitution]] at the 1787 [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Philadelphia Convention]] and, as a U.S. Senator, in the passage of its [[Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution|11th Amendment]].  He also played a leading role in the passage of the [[Judiciary Act of 1789]], which established the federal court system.

Adept at moderating the sometimes harsh political conflict between Federalists and [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republicans]] in Massachusetts, he navigated the state in a Federalist direction through the early years of the 19th century as the rest of the country became progressively more Republican. Although he sought to retire from politics after losing the 1807 governor's race, the advent of the [[War of 1812]] brought him back to the governor's office as a committed opponent of the war. He refused [[United States Army]] requests that state militia be placed under army command and in 1814 sought to engage [[Nova Scotia]] Governor [[John Coape Sherbrooke]] in peace talks. The state and federal governments' weak defense of Massachusetts' northern frontier during Strong's tenure contributed to the successful drive for [[Maine]]'s statehood, which was granted in 1820.