Amasa M. Eaton

Amasa Mason Eaton (May 31, 1841 – October 3, 1914) was an American lawyer and politician. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Eaton briefly served in the Union Army after graduating from Brown University. In the 1860s and 1870s, he held various political positions in Rhode Island, including a seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. After receiving a law degree from Harvard University, he published on topics including municipal government and free trade.

Life and education Eaton was born on May 31, 1841, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Sarah (Brown) Eaton and Levi Eaton. He received an AM from Brown University in 1861 and an LLB from Harvard Law School in 1878. published in the Harvard Law Review, was the first to be cited in a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Eaton supported self-government for municipalities. In Constitution-Making in Rhode Island (1899), he argued that the constitution of Rhode Island should be amended to prohibit state-level interference with local affairs. In "The Right to Local Self-Government", an article in five parts, he argued that municipalities held a right to govern themselves that predated the creation of states.

In 1913, Eaton published Free Trade vs. Protection, a book about efforts past and present to impose tariffs. It argued for free trade as against protectionism.