James E. Hayes (August 10, 1865 – February 8, 1898) was an American politician and the third Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from March 2, 1897, to February 8, 1898. Early life Hayes was born August 10, 1865, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, to Peter and Theresa (nee Hendrick) Hayes, Irish immigrants. He had four brothers and three sisters. Hayes attended Prescott Grammar School and Boston College, graduating with highest honors in 1885. When Boston College's Alumni Association was formed in 1886, he was a founding member of the executive committee. He was a teacher first at the truant school on Deer Island, and then at the Frothingham Grammar School for six years, before passing the bar exam and becoming a lawyer. Political career He was a Democratic Representative in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1892 to 1896, representing Suffolk County's District 3. He lost an election to the Massachusetts Senate in 1894, but was elected in 1896. During this time he was the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. After his ticket was declared the winner of an 1897 election for the local Ward Three Democratic Committee, his supporters hoisted him upon their shoulders at 3 a.m. and marched him through the streets, being led by a fife and drum corps. He was a candidate for president of the city committee, but lost. Hayes also served as president of the Father Matthew Total Abstinence Society and Urban Associates, and was a member of the Young Men's Catholic Association at Boston College, the Catholic Literary Union of Charleston, the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters, and several other organizations. Knights of Columbus Hayes joined the Knights in Massachusetts in 1892 as the charter Deputy Grand Knight of the Bunker Hill Council Number 62, the first council in Massachusetts. He also served as the first state deputy of Massachusetts, winning by unanimous vote on April 24, 1893, and then winning reelection in 1895 and 1896. During his time as a district deputy and state deputy, he presided over the institution of 75 councils. One council, founded at Boston College in 1895, was later renamed in his honor. He was also present at the institutions of the first councils in New Hampshire in 1893 and New York. He announced his desire to step down as state deputy in advance of the 1897 state convention, and was succeeded by Edward L. Hearn. By