Crowdsourcing History
A question from Barbara Brown of Hidden Brookline
Was Senator George Cabot (1752-1823) an enslaver? If so, then his name should be added to the Washington Post’s list (1/10/22) of 1,700+ known enslavers who served in the U.S. House or Senate. As Cabot lived in Brookline, Hidden Brookline: Slavery & Freedom would also add him to the public list of known enslavers found at hiddenbrookline.weebly.com.
Currently, I know that George Cabot grew wealthy from slave trading, working together with his Salem-based brother John, with whom he owned many ships (source: Historic Beverly). Lorenzo Greene described him as a man “who built his wealth from slave trading” (The Negro in Colonial New England, p. 28, n.79, 29, 70). Cabot moved to Brookline in 1793.
To respond, please share your comment here and/or email Barbara Brown at bbbrown@bu.edu
Suggest contacting the Massachusetts Historical Society which has George Cabot papers in the Henry Cabot Lodge collection. Can confirm that his aunts, uncles and cousins in Salem owned slaves.