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courtesy: Wikipedia

**James Bowdoin** ([August 7](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_7),
[1726](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1726) -- [November
6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_6),
[1790](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1790)) was an American political and
intellectual leader from
[Boston](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston%2C_Massachusetts),
[Massachusetts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts) during the
[American Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution).
He served in both the colonial council (senate) and house and was
President of the state\'s [constitutional
convention](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_convention_(political_meeting)).
After independence he was governor of Massachusetts.

When his father died in [1747](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1747), he
inherited a considerable fortune. He took an early interest in [Natural
History](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_history), and had several
papers read to the [Royal
Society](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society) in
[London](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London) by his friend and
correspondent, [Benjamin
Franklin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin).

Bowdoin as named as a delegate to the [Continental
Congress](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Congress) in
[1774](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1774) but did not attend, citing
health reasons. In [1775](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1775) he was
elected President of the Council and held that office until
[1777](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1777). With the turmoil of the
[American Revolutionary
War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War), he
sometimes acted as council president in an executive, rather than
legislative role.

When Massachusetts wrote its own constitution in
[1779](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1779), he was president of the
Convention which created it, and chairman of the committee that drafted
it. In [1785](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1785), Bowdoin was elected
Governor of Massachusetts (1785-1787), but his terms were not peaceful.
He called up the [militia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia) and
took vigorous action to put down [Shays\'
Rebellion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays'_Rebellion), and as a
result lost the election of [1787](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1787) as
Hancock was swept back into office. In
[1788](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1788) he served as a member of the
Massachusetts\' convention that ratified the [United States
Constitution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution).

In [1780](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1780) he was primarily
responsible for the creation of the [American Academy of Arts and
Sciences](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences),
serving as its first president until his death and left the society his
library. He was awarded an [honorary
doctorate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_doctorate) by the
[University of
Edinburgh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Edinburgh), made a
fellow of Harvard, and was a member of the Royal Society of both London
and [Edinburgh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh).

He died of [tuberculosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis) on
[November 6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_6),
[1790](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1790) in Boston. [Bowdoin
College](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowdoin_College) in
[Maine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine) was named in his honor.