Manuscript
Page: 2

Pardon for Henry McCulloch & Jason Parmenter

Page: 1 | 2
Date: September 12, 1787
About this artifact

When Governor John Hancock issued this pardon for Henry McCulloch and Jason Parmenter in September, 1787, he had come to the conclusion that executions "should be avoided for the public good." Hancock could not act on his own, because the governor's council had a say in who could be pardoned. James Sullivan, a Hancock supporter who had been appointed to the council, argued that pardoning Parmenter, who had killed a government supporter, would have a positive effect and show that the new administration was merciful.

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Courtesy Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, MA