James Bowdoin (August 7, 1726 – November 6, 1790) was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. He served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court in the colonial era and was president of the state's constitutional convention. After independence he was governor of Massachusetts.
Bowdoin was born in Boston to Hannah Portage Bowdoin and James Bowdoin, a wealthy Boston merchan...
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James Bowdoin (August 7, 1726 – November 6, 1790) was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. He served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court in the colonial era and was president of the state's constitutional convention. After independence he was governor of Massachusetts.
Bowdoin was born in Boston to Hannah Portage Bowdoin and James Bowdoin, a wealthy Boston merchant. His grandfather Pierre Baudouin was a Huguenot refugee from France. Pierre took his family first to Ireland, then to Portland, Maine, finally settling in Boston in 1690.
Young James attended Boston Latin School, then graduated from Harvard in 1745. When his father died in 1747, he inherited a considerable fortune. He took an early interest in Natural History, and had several papers read to the Royal Society in London by his friend and correspondent, Benjamin Franklin.
Bowdoin was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1753...
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