Encyclopedia Britannica Bowdoin, James (b. Aug. 7, 1726, Boston, Mass. U. S. -- d. Nov. 6, 1790, Boston), political leader in Massachusetts during the era of the American Revolution (1775-83) and founder and first president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1780). Bowdoin graduated from Harvard in 1745. A merchant by profession, he was president of the constitutional convention of Massachusetts (1779-80) and a member of the state convention to ratify the federal Constitution (1788). As Governor of Massachusetts (1785-87), he took prompt action to suppress Shay's Rebellion (an uprising among poor and heavily taxed farmers) and was, in general, a stabilizing force in the critical postwar period. Bowdoin was also a scientist prominent in physics and astronomy. He wrote several papers, including one on electricity with Benjamin Franklin. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, was named in his honour.