Paul Revere 1735 – 1818

Biography

Paul Revere was an American silversmith, engraver and patriot whose midnight ride became one of the founding legends of the United States. Born in Boston, he learned his father’s silversmith trade and built a successful business making silverware, engravings and, later, copper and iron goods. He joined the Sons of Liberty, took part in the Boston Tea Party, and carried messages for the Massachusetts patriots as tensions with Britain rose. On the night of 18 April 1775 he rode from Boston to Lexington to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to seize colonial arms at Concord. Although he was detained before reaching Concord, other riders spread the alarm, and the battles of Lexington and Concord followed at dawn. After the war Revere returned to business, supplied copper for the dome of the Massachusetts State House and for the warship Constitution. He died in Boston in 1818 and is buried in the Granary Burying Ground.