Thomas Chase was a member of the Loyal Nine, an active Son of Liberty, and co-owner of Chase & Speakman’s Distillery in Boston, Massachusetts, when he participated in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.
Just two days prior, on December 14, Chase was part of the contingent of Loyal Nine members who attempted to persuade Francis Rotch, owner of the tea ship Dartmouth, to return the ship to England.
Thomas Chase was involved in many of the events in the years leading up to the Boston Tea Party. He and his fellow Loyal Nine members were the instigators of the Stamp Act Riots in 1765. Chase was also a freemason, raised to St. Andrew’s Lodge in 1769. In 1773, he was a part of that lodge with several other Boston Tea Party Participants, such as Paul Revere, Thomas Urann, and Thomas Crafts, Jr. Joseph Warren, a key planner in the Boston Tea Party, served as Worshipful Master. Throughout these years, Chase became quite a wealthy businessman with his involvement in the Triangle Trade.
According to family history, Thomas Chase advanced to the rank of Brigadier Major. He served as Deputy Quartermaster of Massachusetts troops during the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Chase died in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 17, 1787. He is buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston.
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