James Denison Colt (August 19, 1932 – June 5, 2008) was an American lawyer and politician who represented the 4th Essex District in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

from 1995 to 1997.

Early life

Colt was born on August 19, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Mary Forbes Atkinson Colt and Henry F. Colt. He was a member of

Forbes family The Forbes family is one of the components of the Boston Brahmins—they are a wealthy extended American family long prominent in Boston, Massachusetts. The family's fortune originates from trading opium and tea between North America and China ...

. Colt attended

The Park School The Park School is an independent day school in Brookline, Massachusetts, for boys and girls in Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. Founded in 1888 as Miss Pierce's School, it is a 34-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts near Jamaica Pond. ...

and St. Paul's School. He then went on to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he was a member of the Harvard Crimson hockey team. Colt graduated in 1954 and then served two years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. In 1959 he graduated from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

Legal career

In 1959, Colt joined the Boston law firm of Peabody and Arnold. He later founded his own firm, Goodhue, Colt & Steffensen, where he practiced probate and estate law. His final legal work came with the firm of Taylor, Ganson and Perrin in Boston, where he was of counsel. Colt also served as a trustee of the Gardner Howland Shaw Foundation, an organization dedicated to the improvement of the Massachusetts penal system. He was also a director of the Center for Addictive Behavior.

Political career

Colt held a number of political offices in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

. From 1968 to 1972 he was a member of the town's Warrant Committee. He was chairman of the board for two years. From 1972 to 1973 he was a member of the Town Government Study Committee. Colt was a member of the Milton Board of Selectmen from 1973 to 1982 and was chairman for three years. Colt remained active in politics following his move to

Wenham, Massachusetts Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census. The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...

. He was a member of the Hamilton-Wenham Open Space and Housing Committee from 1987 to 1989 and the Wenham Board of Selectmen from 1990 to 1995. In 1995, Colt succeeded his friend Forrester Clark in the Massachusetts House of Representatives after Clark gave up his seat to run for Massachusetts State Auditor. In 1996, Clark, who was upset over the fact Colt had gone on vacation during the 1995 budget battle, challenged Colt for the Republican nomination. Clark defeated Colt by 58 votes. Colt also served as a member Republican State Committee and was Massachusetts treasurer for

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's 1984 presidential campaign and

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

's 1988 campaign.

Personal life and death

Colt married Elizabeth Reynolds in December 1969. The couple had three daughters. One of Colt's nephews was author

George Howe Colt George Howe Colt is an American journalist and author. He is the author of ''November of the Soul: The Enigma of Suicide'' (1991), ''The Big House (book), The Big House'' (2003), ''Brothers(Book), Brothers'' (2012), and ''The Game'' (2018). He is ...

, who wrote about him in ''The Big House''. Colt was also distant cousin of

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

. Colt was a co-owner of the Forbes family's estate on

Naushon Island Naushon Island is the largest of the Elizabeth Islands in southeastern Massachusetts. It is part of the New England town, town of Gosnold, Massachusetts, and is owned by the Forbes family. As of the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census, the isl ...

. He was a trustee of the estate for 30 years and managing trustee for seven. Colt died on June 5, 2008, at Kaplan Family Hospice House in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

, of cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colt, James 1932 births 2008 deaths Forbes family Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey players Harvard University alumni Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Milton, Massachusetts People from Wenham, Massachusetts University of Virginia School of Law alumni