John Phillips (November 26, 1770 – May 29, 1823) was an American politician, serving as the first mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1822 to 1823. He was the father of abolitionist Wendell Phillips.
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Early life
John Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 26, 1770, to William and Margaret Phillips. His father was a descendant of the Rev. George Phillips of Watertown, the progenitor of the New England Phillips family in America. Widowed early into John's life, his mother used their home as a dry goods store. It was later sold to become the location of the first Jordan Marsh in 1841.
At the age of seven, he enrolled in Phillips Academy, founded by Samuel Phillips Jr., a distant relative, where he eventually graduated. Phillips then went on to Harvard College, graduating in 1788.
Career
Phillips was admitted to the bar after studying law under Thomas Dawes. In 1794, Phillips was invited to deliver the annual Fourth of July oration before the people of Boston. He was made public prosecutor in 1800, and in 1803 was chosen representative to the Massachusetts General Court. He was sent to the Massachusetts Senate in 1804, serving as presiding officer from 1813 to 1823. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1810, and in 1812, he was chosen a member of the corporation of Harvard. Phillips was also elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813.