Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17, 1744 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was the third of twelve children. His mother was the daughter of a Boston merchant and his dad was a wealthy politician and merchant .Gerry attended Harvard where he studied to be a physician, but after he graduated in 1765 he joined his father and brothers in the mercantile business, where he earned himself a good living.
Gerry's political life began in 1773 when he was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature as a representative from Marblehead. The following year he was re-elected to the same office. On February 6th of 1776, Gerry was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress as a replacement for Thomas Cushing. He was on the committee to work on commercial and naval concerns, along with many other positions. While here he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He withdrew form the congress in 1780, but regained his seat in 1783 and remained in office until 1785. He was married in 1786 and retired from congress, then served one year on the Massachusetts state legislature.
In 1787 he was selected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He refused to sign the the constitution saying that it allowed the federal government to much power over the states. While at the convention he was chairman of the committee that produced the Great Compromise, while he himself disliked the compromise. Though he didn't sign the constitution, he gave it support after it was passed because he was a true patriot.
After the Constitutional Convention Gerry served in Congress from 1789 until he retired in 1793. While in congress Gerry was a strong supporter of the Federalist party. President John Adams sent Gerry along with two other men to France in 1797 to negotiate a reconciliation. These failed attempts eventually resulted in the XYZ Affair. Gerry ran for governor of Massacchusetts in 1800-1803 but he was defeated.