appointment to the Committee for Foreign Affairs, he created and implemented ciphers for the country. The ciphers he created were somewhat difficult and complex to use as described and referenced by John Adams "I have letters from the president and from Lovell, the last unintelligible, in ciphers, but inexplicable by his own cipher." and Benjamin Franklin "If you can find the key & decypher it, I shall be glad, having myself try'd in vain." as expressed in their letters to Francis Dana of March 1781. In one area his performance was controversial. In 1776 and 1777, there was a growing struggle for influence and command in the Continental Army. Lovell became a supporter of Horatio Gates in his lobbying quest for command. He encouraged Gates in reporting directly to Congress, in effect going over General Washington's head. This reached its peak when Gates was given command of the Northern Department, replacing Philip Schuyler in the summer of 1777. The controversy also extended into his family along political lines as he was a fervent Whig as opposed to his father who was a Loyalist. Lovell was also a frequent correspondent with both John and Abigail Adams. In his correspondence to Abigail, he flirted wondering what John was doing with his private time in France. He also used Abigail's pet name of Portia in his correspondence. Later events After his term in Congress, Lovell returned to teaching but continued to hold various political offices. He was collector of taxes in Massachusetts from 1784 to 1788 and Customs Officer of Boston in 1778 and 1789. He was appointed as a naval officer of the port of Boston and Charlestown from 1789 and held that position until his death. He died in Windham, Maine (then part of Massachusetts) on July 14, 1814. Family His son, James Lovell (1758–1850) served in the Continental Army from 1776 to 1782. After graduating from Harvard in 1776, he joined the 16th Massachusetts regiment as a lieutenant and saw action at Battle of Monmouth and in Rhode Island. In 1779, he was assigned as adjutant and major to Light Horse Harry Lee's Southern Legion and fought in the southern campaigns. He is reported to have fought valiantly and was wounded several times. Lovell's grandson was Joseph Lovell, who served as the first Surgeon General of the Army from 1818 until 1836. References External links Research on James Lovell's Revolutionary