Azor Orne
Major General, Massachusetts Militia

Azor Orne was born on 22 July 1731 in Marblehead, MA.

Orne was a militia Colonel before the start of the American Revolution and in 1774 was a Delegate to the Essex Convention and the Provincial Congress. Orne was also a member of the Committees of Safety, Military Affairs, Organization of Forces, and on the Collecting of Arms and Ammunition.

In the early hours of 19 April 1775, he was with fellow committee members John Adams, John Hancock and future U.S. vice president Edbridge Gerry at the Black Horse Tavern in Menotomy (now Cambridge) where they were staying after a committee session. They evaded capture by British troops on their way to Concord and Lexington by hiding in a nearby field.

In January 1776, Orne was appointed by the Provincial Congress as one of three Major Generals of the Massachusetts Militia.

After the war he served in the Massachusetts State Senate and served on the Committee on the Ratification of the Federal Constitution. He was a successful merchant who donated generously to civic causes.

Death and Burial

Major General Azor Orne died on 6 June 1796 in Boston, MA. He is buried at Green Street Cemetery in Marblehead, MA.