Jackson, Jonathan, 1743-1810

Jonathan Jackson (June 4, 1743 – March 5, 1810) was an American merchant from Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts in the Continental Congress.

Born in Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Jackson pursued classical studies, graduating from Harvard College before engaging in mercantile pursuits in Newburyport. Despite his dependence on foreign trade, Jackson became a supporter of the American Revolution. He converted some of his merchant ships to privateers. In 1775 he was elected to the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress. He became a member of the state's Committee of Correspondence and headed the Essex County Committee of Safety. Jackson was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1777. He attended the state's Constitutional Convention in 1779. In 1782, Massachusetts sent him as one of their delegates to the Continental Congress.

His mercantile firm having failed during the revolution, Jackson took a series of salaried jobs for a period. After serving one term in the Massachusetts Senate in 1789, he served as the first U.S. Marshal for the district of Massachusetts from 1789 to 1791 then as a federal Supervisor of Revenue from 1792 until 1801. Jackson served as Treasurer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1802 to 1806, and as treasurer of Harvard University. He was president of the Boston Bank, which later became the First National Bank of Boston. When he died in Boston in 1810, he was buried in the Old Granary Burying Ground there.