Thomas Cushing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office February 17, 1785 – May 27, 1785 | |
| Lieutenant | Himself |
| Preceded by | John Hancock |
| Succeeded by | James Bowdoin |
| 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office November 4, 1780 – February 28, 1788 | |
| Governor | John Hancock (1780–1785) Himself (1785) James Bowdoin (1785–1788) |
| Preceded by | Thomas Oliver (as Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay) |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Lincoln |
| Speaker of the General Court | |
| In office May 28, 1766 – October 1774 | |
| Preceded by | James Otis Jr. |
| Succeeded by | John Hancock (as Congress President) |
| President of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office October 25, 1780 – November 4, 1780 | |
| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah Powell |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office October 25, 1780 – November 4, 1780 | |
| Member of the General Court for Boston | |
| In office 1731–1747 | |
| In office 1761–1774 | |
| Member of the Boston Board of Selectmen | |
| In office 1753–1763 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 24, 1725 Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | February 28, 1788 (aged 62) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Spouse |
Deborah Fletcher
(m. 1747; died 1788) |
| Education | Boston Latin School |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
| Occupation | Merchant, Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Cushing III (March 24, 1725 – February 28, 1788) was an American lawyer, merchant, and statesman from Boston, Massachusetts. Active in Boston politics, he represented the city in the provincial assembly from 1761 to its dissolution in 1774, serving as the lower house's speaker for most of those years. Because of his role as speaker, his signature was affixed to many documents protesting British policies, leading officials in London to consider him a dangerous radical. He engaged in extended communications with Benjamin Franklin who at times lobbied on behalf of the legislature's interests in London, seeking ways to reduce the rising tensions of the American Revolution.
Cushing represented Massachusetts in the First (during which he signed the Continental Association) and Second Continental Congresses but was voted out when he opposed independence. Despite this, he remained politically active after independence, continuing to serve in the state government. During the Revolutionary War, he was a commissary responsible for provisioning the military, a position he used to enrich the family merchant business. He was elected the state's first lieutenant governor in 1780. Politically associated with fellow merchant Governor John Hancock, he remained lieutenant governor until his death in 1788, briefly serving as acting governor in 1785 between the resignation of Hancock and the election of James Bowdoin.