Ezekiel Cheever was a distiller, rum seller, and confectioner from Charlestown, Massachusetts, when he participated in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.
On November 3, 1773, Cheever was part of the delegation demanding the resignation of the Boston tea consignees at Richard Clarke’s warehouse. Leading up to the “destruction of the tea”, Cheever was actively involved in the Sons of Liberty, as well as the North End Caucus. The Caucus, as well as members of the Sons of Liberty, were campaigning to keep any ships carrying East India Company tea from being unloaded in Boston; ideally, the groups preferred that the tea should be returned to England. When the ship Dartmouth arrived on November 28, 1773, Cheever led the volunteer guard on the night of November 30 to ensure that the East India Company tea was not unloaded.
Ezekiel Cheever was appointed Commissary of Artillery on August 17, 1775, a position he held through December 31, 1780, ending his service in charge of ordinance stores in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Ezekiel Cheever died on September 10, 1784.
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