William Jackson (Massachusetts politician, born 1783)
William Jackson (September 2, 1783 – February 27, 1855) was a banker and politician from Newton, Massachusetts. Born in Newton, he attended district schools and, after a severe leg injury at age 15, educated himself through the Newton library. At 17 he moved to Boston to work in the soap and candle factory his father started, rising to foreman and eventually owner.
He married Hannah Woodward and had several children; after Hannah’s death in 1812 he married Mary Bennett and had more children. In Boston he built a successful career, served in the Massachusetts General Court, and helped run the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. Around 1820 he returned to Newton to farm but stayed highly active in public life, becoming Chairman of the Newton Board of Selectmen in 1825 and helping enforce temperance laws. He helped found Newton’s American Temperance Society and served as treasurer and secretary, a movement that later evolved into a broader discussion group.
Jackson developed a strong interest in railroads and supported the creation of regular service between Newton and Boston by 1844. Politically, he was an Anti-Masonic candidate and was elected to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth United States Congresses, serving as the U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1833 to 1837. He declined to seek renomination and returned to business and public life.
An abolitionist ally, the Jackson Homestead later served as an Underground Railroad stop. He also led the Newton Savings Bank, founded in 1848, as its first president until his death. William Jackson died in Newton on February 27, 1855, and was buried in the Old Burial Ground.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:34 (CET).