James Logan (statesman)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Logan (October 20, 1674-October 31, 1751) was born in County Armagh, Ireland of Scottish descent. A statesman and scholar, he came to the colony of Pennsylvania as William Penn's secretary, and supported proprietary rights in Pennsylvania. After advancing through several political offices, he was elected Mayor of Philadelphia in 1722. During his tenure as mayor, Logan allowed Irish Catholic immigrants to participate in the city's first public Mass. He later served as the colony's chief justice starting in 1731, and in the absence of a governor, became acting governor of Pennsylvania from 1736-1738.

Logan was also a natural scientist whose primary contribution to the emerging field of botany was a treatise that described experiments on the impregnation of plant seeds. He tutored John Bartram, the American botanist, in Latin and introduced him to Linnaeus. He was also a mentor of Benjamin Franklin.

The Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia is named for Logan; his summer estate "Stenton" (now a museum) is located in the area.

[edit] External links

• Biography at FamousAmericans.net
• Abstract of his life at GwyneddFriends.org
• Biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania
• Biography at USHistory.org

Legal Offices
Preceded by David Lloyd	Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 1731–1739	Succeeded by Jeremiah Langhorne
Political offices
Preceded by William Fishbourn	Mayor of Philadelphia 1722–1723	Succeeded by Clement Plumsted