James Pitts (1712–1776) was a Massachusetts merchant and an early American

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

Biography

Pitts, was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1712 he was the son of John Pitts, who emigrated from England. He graduated from Harvard in 1731, and succeeded to his father's business and fortune. He was a member of the king's council from 1766 till 1775. On the death of Governor Bowdoin (his father-in-law) he became his executor. Pitts, his wife and their six sons took an active part in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. His house, which stood on the spot that was occupied by the Howard Athenæum, was a resort of the Adamses and other American Patriots. In 1770, with Royal Tyler and

Samuel Dexter Samuel Dexter (May 14, 1761May 4, 1816) was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinets of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Dexter was a 1781 graduate of Harvard ...

, he was instrumental in persuading Governor Thomas Hutchinson to comply with the popular demand for the removal of the troops from Boston. He was for many years treasurer of the Society for propagating Christian knowledge among the Indians. He died in 1776.

Family

In 1732 Pitts married Elizabeth Bowdoin, sister of Governor

James Bowdoin James Bowdoin II ( ; August 7, 1726 – November 6, 1790) was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts, during the American Revolution and the following decade. He initially gained fame and influence as a wealth ...

. Their eldest son, John (Boston 1738 – Tyngsboro 1815), was graduated at Harvard in 1757, was selectman of Boston from 1773 till 1778, represented the city in several provincial congresses, was speaker of the house in 1778, and afterwards a state senator. A younger son, Lendall (Boston 1737–1787), was an American Patriot, principal leader of the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

, and the defendant in '' Gray v. Pitts'' (1771). James's grandson, Thomas (1779–1835). He was commissioned lieutenant of light artillery in 1808, and captain in 1809, and served through the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitts, James 1712 births 1776 deaths People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution Harvard University alumni People from colonial Boston Merchants from colonial Massachusetts 18th-century American merchants