Where the Streets All Have Names: Otis Street and Otis Court

Where The Streets All Have Names: Otis Street and Otis Court

Originally named Grant or O Street, the 15th road west of Sheridan in Edgewater was renamed to Otis Street, after Harrison Gray Otis, in the early 1900s to conform to the new Senators and Supreme Court Justices alphabet naming system. Otis Court, the next street to the west is also named after Harrison Gray Otis.

Otis was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1765. He studied law at the prestigious Harvard University and was admitted to the bar in 1786 and began practicing law in his hometown of Boston.

Otis held many elected positions, starting when he entered politics in 1794, having been elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature. He served in the legislature for 2 years. In 1796 President George Washington appointed Otis US Attorney for Massachusetts. In 1797 Otis entered national politics when he was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party. He served 2 terms, then was again appointed US Attorney for Massachusetts, this time by John Adams. He served in that role for one year before returning to state legislature, where he would serve this time for 15 years. Otis also served as a US Senator from 1817-1822 and then as the Mayor of Postion from 1829-1831.

Apparently, having not padded his resume enough, Otis also had a judicial career, starting when he was named to the court of common pleas in 1814. He played a major role in the Hartford Convention, in which New England discussed secession over the War of 1812. The convention led to the demise of the Federalist Party, and Otis’ own reputation suffered as well. His reputation suffered further when he was involved in a major financial scandal involving the purchase of land for the state in which he arranged a land purchase for himself as well. Otis also served as an overseer at Harvard University and was an original incorporator of the Boston Bank. All in all, he had an impressive career as a politician, though not without its stains. Otis died in Boston in 1848.