Christopher Gore was born in Boston on September 21, 1758, one of the children of John Gore and Frances Pinkney Gore. His father was a successful artisan and merchant, and the family enjoyed substantial comfort without belonging to the oldest rank of Massachusetts landed families. Christopher attended Boston Latin School, where he received the classical preparation expected of boys bound for college. He entered Harvard in 1772 at about thirteen or fourteen.

At Harvard, Gore studied Latin and Greek, logic, mathematics, moral philosophy, rhetoric, and the other subjects of the colonial curriculum. He became close to Rufus King, John Trumbull, and James Freeman and participated in a student speaking club. These friendships and exercises in debate helped develop the polished argument and sociability that later distinguished him at the bar. The Revolution, however, repeatedly disrupted college life. When the Continental Army occupied Harvard’s buildings during the siege of Boston, Gore temporarily continued his studies at Bradford and later at Concord.

The conflict divided his own household. John Gore remained loyal to the Crown and left Boston with the British evacuation in March 1776, while Christopher, his mother, and his sisters remained. Christopher graduated from Harvard that year and chose the Patriot side. He enlisted in the Continental artillery regiment commanded by his brother-in-law Thomas Crafts and served as a clerk until 1778. His duties gave him practical experience with military accounts, correspondence, orders, and supply while placing responsibility on him at a young age.

Because his father’s property was subject to confiscation, Gore also had to protect the interests of the relatives left in Massachusetts. In 1779 he successfully petitioned for the family members’ share of the seized estate. Meanwhile he read law under John Lowell and was admitted to the bar in 1778 after a comparatively short apprenticeship. The departure of many Loyalist attorneys created opportunities for an ambitious young lawyer. By the close of the war, Gore’s education, military clerical service, divided family experience, and early legal training had prepared the professional career through which he gained wealth and public influence.