James Trecothick Austin (January 7, 1784 – May 8, 1870) was the 22nd Massachusetts Attorney General

Massachusetts Attorney General

The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....

. Austin was the son of Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S...

, and Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

The Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts is an executive officer, elected state-wide every four years....

 Jonathan L. Austin. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 in 1824.

Family

Austin married Catharine Gerry, the eldest daughter of Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Thomas Gerry was an American statesman and diplomat. As a Democratic-Republican he was selected as the fifth Vice President of the United States , serving under James Madison, until his death a year and a half into his term...

, they had a son, Ivers James Austin, born February 14, 1808, and a daughter, Marie Cornelia Ritchie Austin, born on March 8, 1821.

Writings

• The Life of Elbridge Gerry, with Contemporary Letters to the Close of the American Revolution. 2 Volumes, (1827–1829).