James W. Pope | |
Office: | Member of the Boston Common Council for Ward 9 |
Term: | 1881 |
Predecessor: | Henry W. Swift |
Successor: | Godfrey Morse |
Death Date: | February 11 or 12, 1937 (aged 80) |
Death Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
Party: | Republican |
Alma Mater: | Boston University School of Law |
James W. Pope (1856–1937) was an American lawyer who was the second African American to serve on the Boston Common Council.[1]
Pope was elected to represent Ward 9 on the Common Council in 1880 and was seated on January 6, 1881.[2] He was defeated for reelection in 1881. Pope later blamed his vote to allow the Irish National Land League to use Faneuil Hall for his loss.[3] After leaving the council, Pope moved to the Southern United States. While there, his right leg was amputated after a revolver went off in his pocket.[4] By 1896, Pope was once again living in Boston.[5] From 1929 to 1934, Pope was a master in chancery.[6] [7] Pope was found dead in his Pemberton Square law office on February 15, 1937. It was believed that he had died three or four days prior.[8]
Pope's grandson, Lincoln Pope Jr., served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1957 to 1964.[9] His granddaughter, Doris Pope, was the wife of Herbert L. Jackson.[10]