James Sullivan (22 April 1744 – 10 December 1808) was the Democratic-Republican Governor of Massachusetts from 29 May 1807 to 10 December 1808, succeeding Caleb Strong and preceding Levi Lincoln Sr..
Biography[]
James Sullivan was born in Berwick, Massachusetts Bay Colony (now in Maine) in 1744. He studied law with his brother John Sullivan before becoming a successful lawyer during the American Revolutionary War and being appointed to the state's highest court in 1776. He drafted the state's constitution and supported the ratification of the US Constitution, and he served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1790 to 1807 and as Governor from 1807 until his death in 1808. He was a political ally of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, and he supported the development of his state's infrastructure.