Francis Dana (1743-1811) was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress from 1777-1778 and again in 1784, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. A lawyer by profession, he served as secretary to John Adams in 1779 when Adams traveled to Europe to secure a peace treaty with Great Britain. He served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts from 1785-1791; in 1791, he was named Chief Justice, a position he held for fifteen years.[1]