Josiah Quincy is the name of six generations of prominent Massachusetts men who each bore the name of their preceding fathers. The first, Josiah Quincy I, was a Revolutionary War soldier. The next was known as “the patriot,†a skillful orator who had gone to Britain to argue the causes of the colonies. His son, the next Josiah Quincy (III) was both the mayor of Boston and then the President of Harvard University. His son Josiah also became the mayor of Boston and was instrumental in the establishment of the Massachusetts Board of Education. The fifth Josiah was a poet and a writer, and the last Josiah Quincy also became the mayor of Boston. Quite an impressive set of Josiahs, indeed!
