On this day 250 years ago, the Massachusetts House of Representatives in General Court Assembled (more often referred to as the “Assembly” or “General Court”) adopted Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Peter Oliver. The Articles of Impeachment had been drafted by Assemblyman (and subsequent Signer of the Declaration of Independence and President of the United States) John Adams. Oliver was impeached for accepting salary from the British Government rather than from the people of Massachusetts and he was accused, correctly so, of having greater loyalty to Britain than to Massachusetts. Thomas Hutchinson, Royal Governor of Massachusetts refused to recognize the Assembly’s authority to impeach Oliver or any other judges and Oliver was not removed from office until he fled Massachusetts with the departing British Army when they evacuated Boston in 1776.

Source: https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/index.php/view/PJA02dg7