James Freeman (clergyman)

James Freeman
Portrait by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1820–1828
Born	(1759-04-22)April 22, 1759 Charlestown, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	November 14, 1835(1835-11-14) (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.