Robert Treat Paine, Jr.

Who was Robert Treat Paine, Jr.?

Robert Treat Paine, Jr. was an American poet and editor. He was the second son of Robert Treat Paine, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Born Thomas Paine, he changed his name to that of his recently deceased older brother in 1801, in part as a tribute to his father and in part to avoid confusion with the more famous Thomas Paine, the revolutionary pamphleteer, who was unpopular at that time. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from Harvard University, for whose commencement ceremonies he wrote a number of pieces.