James Otis, Jr
James Otis, Jr. was a prominent colonial lawyer and political activist in Massachusetts during the lead-up to the American Revolution. Born to a well-known family, he graduated from Harvard and began his law career in the late 1740s. Initially serving as advocate general of the Vice Admiralty Court, Otis became disillusioned with British policies that harmed local merchants and resigned to champion colonial rights. He gained fame for his passionate speech in 1761 against the Writs of Assistance, advocating for individual liberties and denouncing slavery, which positioned him as a leading figure in the fight for independence. Otis was involved in significant political events such as the Sugar Act protests and the Stamp Act Congress, earning the nickname "the Patriot." However, his outspoken nature led to personal attacks, resulting in severe head injuries that affected his mental health. Despite these challenges, he remained politically active until his decline, even participating in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Otis's life ended tragically when he was struck by lightning while speaking to a crowd in 1783. His legacy as an early advocate for American rights and liberties continues to resonate in discussions of revolutionary history.
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James Otis, Jr.
Activist
- Born: February 5, 1725
- Birthplace: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Died: May 23, 1783
- Place of death: Andover, Massachusetts
Biography
James Otis, Jr., was born to Colonel James Otis, a pre- Revolutionary War General Court representative and lawyer, and Mary (Allyne) Otis, who had more than ten children together, several of whom did not survive childhood. James Otis, Jr., graduated from Harvard in 1743 and continued there for his 1746 master’s degree before studying law for two additional years. He began his law practice in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in 1748, and then relocated, first to Plymouth and then to Boston in 1750.
With his practice established, Otis wed Boston native Ruth Cunningham in 1755, and five years later, he had become, and was earning a good living as, advocate general of the Vice Admiralty Court. However, Otis personally sided with Boston merchants in the colonists’ conflicts with Britain, and his position as advocate general led to his enforcement of British policies that negatively affected the merchants. When George III took the throne following King George II’s 1760 death, the tightening of the Writs o Assistance required Otis to enforce these strict rules, so Otis resigned and joined the colonists’ fight.
Otis subsequently earned the title “the Patriot” for his vehement dedication to the fight for independence and colonists’ rights. In February, 1761, he gave a four-hour speech at Boston’s Old State House that made him famous, energizing and encouraging the listeners in the impending fight for American independence and arguing against the constitutionality and decency of the Writs of Assistance. In championing human rights in the speech, he also denounced slavery.
That same year, Otis was elected to the General Court, and he was elected speaker five years later, but the royal governor refused to allow him the position because of his known anti- British sentiments. Otis then decried the Sugar Act in 1764 and stood as one of the major players at the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. Having made many enemies over the years with his vocal opinions, Otis was viciously attacked by a group of British customs officials in September 1769. His skull was fractured and his brain damaged, which stripped him of his coherence and sanity. He lost control in 1770 at the State House, breaking windows and firing a rifle. Deemed insane, he was placed under the care of his brother Samuel. He continued to serve as a representative until 1771, but he had changed drastically by then.
He was sent to Lawrence Pond in Sandwich to stay with a family friend, and he often wandered off, seemingly in an effort to get back to Boston. In fact, during one of his ventures out in 1775, he took a gun from his sister’s house and ended up fighting in the Battle of Bunker Hill, which he survived without harm. As the next decade began, Otis was moved to Isaac Osgood’s farm in Andover, and he was later standing near one of the farm’s fences before a group of people who had come to hear him speak when a storm began; as Otis spoke to the crowd, lightning struck him and killed him instantly.