James Lloyd (December 1769April 5, 1831) was a merchant, businessman and

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

party politician from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

during the early years of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He twice served as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

, notably succeeding

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

after the latter lost the party vote due to his support of the Embargo Act of 1807.

Early life and business

James Lloyd was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

, to James Lloyd, a top medical doctor in Boston, and Sarah (Curwin) Lloyd. Lloyd was educated at

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, where he received a BA in 1787 and an MA in 1790. He got a job as a merchant clerk, in which capacity he traveled to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

in 1792. Lloyd became a successful merchant, and was a close business associate of Francis Cabot Lowell. With Lowell, he was a major stakeholder the construction of Boston's India Wharf and Central Wharf, and was a major investor in the

Boston Athenaeum Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

. He served as the first president of the

Boston Manufacturing Company The Boston Manufacturing Company was a business that operated one of the first factories in America. It was organized in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell, a wealthy Boston merchant, in partnership with a group of investors later known as The Boston ...

, the first major

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

in the nation.

Political career

In 1800 Lloyd was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, and in 1804 he won election to the state senate. In 1808, he won election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

. The election, made by the state legislature, took place at an unusually early date, as it was designed as a snub of the sitting Federalist Senator,

, for his support of the Embargo Act of 1807. Adams resigned his seat early, and Lloyd was appointed to fill the remainder of his term. He served until his resignation on May 1, 1813, due to poor health. On June 17, 1812, he voted against declaring war on Britain. On February 28, 1812, Lloyd gave a speech in the Senate of the United States on the Bill "Concerning the Naval Establishment". Upon the resignation of Senator Harrison Gray Otis in 1822, he was again elected and reelected, serving until his resignation on May 23, 1826, again due to poor health. He was one of the last Federalist Party members to serve in the Senate. Lloyd died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and is buried in

King's Chapel Burying Ground King's Chapel Burying Ground is a historic graveyard on Tremont Street, near its intersection with School Street, in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1630, it is the oldest graveyard in the city and is a site on the Freedom Trail. Despit ...

in Boston. He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1811 and a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1820.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref>

References

"James Lloyd", ''Lamb's Biographical Dictionary''
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, James (Massachusetts) 1769 births 1831 deaths Harvard College alumni Politicians from Boston United States senators from Massachusetts Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts Federalists Massachusetts National Republicans American people of Welsh descent Federalist Party United States senators Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the American Antiquarian Society Boston Latin School alumni