Born in Massachusetts in 1731, Robert Treat Paine was expected to become a Minister due to family tradition. However, he pursued a different path and graduated from Harvard College in 1749. After teaching and working as a merchant marine, he decided to pursue law and was admitted to the bar of Massachusetts in 1757. He served as associate prosecuting attorney in the trials of British soldiers following the Boston Massacre. Paine was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1770 and selected to attend the first Continental Congress in 1774. He participated in the debates leading to the resolution for Independence and signed the Declaration. Paine was also attorney general of Massachusetts in 1777, and helped draft the first constitution of the state. In 1783, he declined an appointment to the bench of the Supreme Court, but accepted it in 1796 and retired 14 years later due to failing health. He died at the age of 83.
