Massachusetts Governor James Sullivan, Son of Irish Immigrants and a Leader in the American Revolution

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One of the most accomplished Irish-Americans of New England's colonial era was James Sullivan (1744-1808), a heralded lawyer, orator and statesman, who served as both Attorney General, from 1790 to 1807 and was Governor of Massachusetts for two one-year terms in 1807 and 1808.

Born in Berwick, Maine on April 22, 1744, James was the fourth of five sons born to Owen Sullivan of Limerick and Margery Browne of Cork, who both indentured servants from Ireland. James and his brothers were home-schooled by their father, who had been a teacher in Ireland and spoke numerous languages. Sullivan worked for and studied law in his brother’s legal firm, and later served as a justice for the Massachusetts Supreme Court from 1776 to 1782, as well as serving as a probate judge for Suffolk County from 1788 to 1790.

According to the National Governors Association, Sullivan entered into a political career in 1774, serving as a member of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, a position he held until 1775. He also served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1775 to 1776, was a member of the 1779 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, and served as a member of the Continental Congress in 1784 and 1785. He served as a member of the Massachusetts Executive Council in 1787.

Historian Murray Forbes wrote that Sullivan was the first Massachusetts Governor of Irish descent and founder and first president of the Massachusetts Historical Society.  He was also one of the first members admitted to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.


Sullivan died while in office as governor, and is buried in the Old Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street in downtown Boston.  


Sullivan Square in Charlestown is named in Sullivan's honor because of his role in building the Middlesex Canal which ran through where Sullivan Square is today.  There is a portrait of Governor Sullivan in the Massachusetts State House, which is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail.  

His brother, General John Sullivan, was also a hero in the Revolutionary War and a close aide to General George Washington. 


Research + Text, Michael Quinlin








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