John Phillips

Biography

John Phillips parlayed his mercantile career into civic leadership, helping sustain Boston’s commerce in the early republic while pressing for more effective municipal government. He led efforts to organize the city’s commercial affairs, advocate for fair taxation, and improve transportation for goods and people, all of which prepared the way for his election as Boston’s first mayor.

During his brief mayoralty he focused on schools, public buildings, and the sense of equitable service to the citizens he had long supplied; he and his family gave generously to libraries and charitable institutions. His name lives on in the office he helped define, and his remains lie among the honored citizens interred at Granary Burying Ground.