Who was James Otis?

Question:James Otis, Jr. (1725 – 1783) was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts who was an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "No Taxation without Representation" is usually attributed to him.
Speaking of James Otis, John Adams said, "I have been young and now I am old, and I solemnly say I have never known a man whose love of country was more ardent or sincere, never one who suffered so much, never one whose service for any 10 years of his life were so important and essential to the cause of his country as those of Mr. Otis from 1760 to 1770." Perhaps not a single person more epitomized the complexities and contradictions of the pre-Revolutionary War period in Boston.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/722

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: James Otis, Jr. (1725 – 1783) was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts who was an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "No Taxation without Representation" is usually attributed to him.
Speaking of James Otis, John Adams said, "I have been young and now I am old, and I solemnly say I have never known a man whose love of country was more ardent or sincere, never one who suffered so much, never one whose service for any 10 years of his life were so important and essential to the cause of his country as those of Mr. Otis from 1760 to 1770." Perhaps not a single person more epitomized the complexities and contradictions of the pre-Revolutionary War period in Boston.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/722

James Otis was a lawyer and writer in colonial America. He was not a leader in the American Revolution, but part of the 'vanguard', one of the men who first came up with the idea. The phrase 'taxation without representation' is attributed to him!