Elbridge Gerry was a colonial-era plutocrat who became a patriot, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a champion of equal justice under the law. He initially refused to assent to the Constitution, although he attended the Convention, because it lacked a Bill of Rights.

One of his more famous sayings was that “a tribunal without juries would be a Star Chamber in civil cases” — “Star Chamber” being a reference to the supervisory English court known best for protecting friends of the king and persecuting his enemies.