Richard Frothingham Jr. (January 31, 1812 – January 29, 1880) was a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

historian, journalist, and politician. Frothingham was a proprietor and managing editor of ''

The Boston Post ''The Boston Post'' was a daily newspaper in New England for over a hundred years before it folded in 1956. The ''Post'' was founded in November 1831 by two prominent Boston businessmen, Charles G. Greene and William Beals. Edwin Grozier bough ...

''. He also served in 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 as the second

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...

, in the United States.

Early life

Frothingham was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts to Richard and Mary (Thompson) Frothingham. He attended school in Charlestown.

Journalistic career

Frothingham was a proprietor, and from 1852 to 1865, a managing editor of, ''

''.

Politics

He was a member of the Massachusetts state legislature in 1839, 1840, 1842, 1849, and 1850, and mayor of Charlestown from 1851 to 1853. Frothingham was a delegate to the

1852 Democratic National Convention The 1852 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 1 to June 5 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1852 electio ...

. During the 1852 election, Frothingham was an energetic supporter of

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

for President. He was also a delegate to the

1876 Democratic National Convention The 1876 Democratic National Convention assembled in St. Louis just nine days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first political convention held west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis was noti ...

Writings

He devoted much of his time to historical study, and published, in addition to many pamphlets, magazine articles and addresses: * ''History of Charlestown'' (1848) * ''History of the Siege of Boston, and the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill'' (1849) * ''The Command in the Battle of Bunker Hill'' (1850) * ''Life and Times of

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

'' (1865) * ''Tribute to

Thomas Starr King Thomas Starr King (December 17, 1824 – March 4, 1864), often known as Starr King, was an American Universalist and Unitarian minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War, and Freemason. Starr King spoke z ...

'' (1865) * ''The Rise of the Republic of the United States'', his most important work by some estimates (1871) * ''The Centennial: Battle of Bunker Hill'' (1875) For several years, he was treasurer of the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...

. In 1858, Frothingham was elected 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 in ...

.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frothingham Jr., Richard 1812 births Mayors of Charlestown, Massachusetts 1852 United States presidential election 1876 United States presidential election Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1880 deaths 19th-century American journalists American male journalists Historians of the American Revolution 19th-century American biographers Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American male writers The Boston Post people 19th-century Massachusetts politicians