James Freeman | |
---|---|
Born | Charlestown, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America | April 22, 1759
Died | November 14, 1835 (aged 76) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Known for | First avowed Unitarian minister in the United States |
Church | Unitarian |
Ordained | November 1787 |
Congregations served | King's Chapel |
Signature | |
James Freeman (April 22, 1759 – November 14, 1835)[1] was an American Unitarian clergyman and writer, "noteworthy as the first avowed preacher of Unitarianism in the United States". After graduating Harvard and becoming pastor of King's Chapel in Boston, Freeman's revised Book of Common Prayer was adopted by the congregation. This and Freeman's later ordination are credited as the origins of Unitarianism in New England. Later receiving a D.D. from Harvard Divinity School, he was also a founding member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.