Andrew Oliver was a loyalist in that he never openly opposed Parliamentary rule in the colonies. At least, not until he was forced to by his rebel contemporaries. In many ways, he was like his more famous rebel contemporaries, such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams. He was born and raised in Boston -- the son of a merchant. He was educated at Boston Latin and Harvard College. He inherited his father's trade and became a successful merchant. He also became a local politician. However, he was made a scapegoat for the laws that he publicly upheld until forced to publicly refuse to uphold them. He did not join the rebels in their opposition to the laws, particularly the Stamp Act.
It is said that Andrew Oliver privately opposed the Stamp Act. That was not enough for the rebels, namely Ebenezer MacIntosh and the Sons of Liberty. When Andrew Oliver was appointed stamp distributor, which was a type of tax collector, after the Stamp Act was introduced in Boston, he became a target for the mobs that vehemently opposed the tax. At the time, those who acted on their rebel feelings toed the line between expression and treason. Not all men were willing to risk being tried for treason, as the result could be death. In 1765, when the Stamp Act was introduced, whether it would come to war was still uncertain. Of course, the outcome of such a war could not have been known then. It was a huge risk that was getting riskier all the time.
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