Lovell, James, 1737-1814

James Lovell (October 31, 1737 – July 14, 1814) was a Founding Father of the United States and an educator and statesman from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1782. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation.

Lovell was born in Boston and had his preparatory education at the Boston Latin School. Lovell then attended Harvard and graduated in 1756. He then joined his father and taught at the Latin School, while continuing his own studies. Lovell received a Master of Arts degree from Harvard in 1759. Father and son continued their work in the Latin School until it was closed in April 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the American Revolutionary War.

Following the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, the new military Governor William Howe, ordered the arrest of likely dissidents in Boston. Lovell was picked up in the sweep and spent nine months in the Boston Stone Jail. He was transported with the British fleet as a prisoner and taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he spent nine months in the jail. After being exchanged, he was elected to be a delegate to the Continental Congress, to which he served until 1782. Lovell served effectively in the Congress during the six years that were critical to the American Revolution. He was particularly important as a long-term member of the Committee of Foreign Correspondence and that of Secret Correspondence. He signed the Articles of Confederation, endorsing them for Massachusetts on July 9, 1778. During his appointment to the Committee for Foreign Affairs, he created and implemented ciphers for the country.

After his term in Congress, Lovell returned to teaching but continued to hold various political offices. He was collector of taxes in Massachusetts from 1784 to 1788 and Customs Officer of Boston in 1778 and 1789. He was appointed as a naval officer of the port of Boston and Charlestown from 1789 and held that position until his death. He died in Windham, Maine (then part of Massachusetts) on July 14, 1814.