Bowdoin, << BOH duhn, >> James (1726-1790), was a merchant and political leader in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War. He served as a member of the governor’s council from 1757 to 1774. Bowdoin worked with patriots like John Hancock and James Otis in the lower chamber.
He was governor of Massachusetts during Shays’ Rebellion, and took a firm course with the rebels. He helped get the United States Constitution ratified in his state. He was the first president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, was named for him. Bowdoin was born in Boston.
