26. James Stoddard

At age 17, Stoddard was an ardent patriot and a member of the Cohasset Militia. On March 17, 1773, he boldly captured a British ship, loaded with provisions and rum, and sailed past Cohasset towards Boston, unaware of the British Evacuation. He brought the cargo into Cohasset Harbor and sold it for a considerable sum. Most notable was his participation in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Stoddard was among a group of colonists (three from Cohasset) who dumped 342 chests of British East India Company Tea into Boston Harbor. It was the first major political protest against Britain for imposing "taxation with representation" and a precursor to the American Revolution. He later served with George Washington at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. 

Stoddard was also a shipwright. He married Susannah Lincoln and they had 6 children.