LAST ROYAL GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS 25 



its strength. Pownall stayed only till 1760, when he 

 was replaced by Francis Bernard, who, soon after- 

 ward, on the death of Stephen Sewall, appointed 

 Hutchinson chief justice of Massachusetts, much to 

 the disgust of the elder James Otis, who desired the 

 position and expected to obtain it. In later days 

 Hutchinson was charged with greed of office, because 

 he was at once judge of probate, member of the 

 council, chief justice, and lieutenant-governor. Still 

 later the charge of avarice has been thoughtlessly 

 added by writers forgetful of the facts that he was 

 liberal in money matters, far too rich to be attracted 

 by the meagre salaries of these laborious offices, and 

 as a scholar somewhat inclined to be miserly of his 

 time. The explanation is rather to be found in his 

 inheritance of public spirit and rare ability, combined 

 with the general favour won by genial manners and 

 unblemished purity of life. For twenty years he was 

 the popular idol of Massachusetts, and was wanted for 

 all sorts of things. There may seem something strange 

 in appointing to the chief justiceship a man who had 

 not practised at the bar, instead of a lawyer so eminent 

 as Otis. But Hutchinson's eight years' service as 

 judge of a county court had shown that, along with a 

 judicial temper, he possessed an extraordinarily wide 

 and accurate knowledge of law ; and when Bernard 

 appointed him chief justice he did so at the earnest 

 request of several leading members of the bar, headed 

 by Jeremiah Gridley, one of the greatest lawyers of 

 that age. 



On a December day of 1 760, soon after this appoint- 

 ment was made, the news came to Boston that King 

 George II. was dead and his youthful grandson had 



