James Russell (1715-1798)

He was a Judge, Representative (1746-1759) from Massachusetts and Member of the Council (1758-1771). In 1774, he was appointed Mandamus Councillor, but did not take the official oath, saving him from the wrath of the Revolutionaries. He led the project that saw the first bridge built between Charlestown and Boston - the first structure of its kind ever built across a broad river in the United States. Despite being a Loyalist, his great benevolence and public spirit ensured he was not driven from his home at Charlestown where he died in 1798. He married Katherine, daughter of Justice Thomas Graves, of Charlestown, and had eleven children.