James Lovell (October 31, 1737 – July 14, 1814) was a Founding Father of the United States and an educator and statesman from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1782. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation. Early life Lovell was born in Boston and had his preparatory education at the Boston Latin School. His father John Lovell (1710–1778) was the school's headmaster from 1738 until 1775. James attended Harvard and graduated in 1756. He then joined his father and taught at the Latin School, while continuing his own studies. He received a Master of Arts degree from Harvard in 1759. Father and son continued their work in the Latin School until it was closed in April 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the American Revolutionary War. While the school produced a number of revolutionary leaders, including John Hancock and Samuel Adams, the approaching revolution split father and son. John wrote and endorsed Loyalist or Tory positions, while James became aligned with the Whigs and associated growing rebel sentiment. He was chosen to give an oration to the town the first year after the Boston Massacre, which he delivered at the Old South Church Following the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, the new military Governor William Howe, ordered the arrest of likely dissidents in Boston. James Lovell was picked up in the sweep and spent nine months in the Boston Stone Jail. General Howe evacuated Boston in March 1776, taking all British troops and Loyalists. James was transported with the British fleet as a prisoner and taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he spent nine months in the jail. His father also sailed with the British fleet to Halifax in March 1776, as part of the general exodus of Loyalists when British forces abandoned the city. In November 1776, James was exchanged for Colonel Philip Skene. When he got back to Boston in December, he was elected to be a delegate to the Continental Congress, to which he served until 1782. Congressional career Lovell served effectively in the Congress during the six years that were critical to the American Revolution. He was particularly important as a long-term member of the Committee of Foreign Correspondence and that of Secret Correspondence. He signed the Articles of Confederation, endorsing them for Massachusetts on July 9, 1778. During his